Over 100 parliamentarians spanning the Houses of Commons and Lords have signed a letter condemning Chinese persecution of Uighurs in what they call âethnic cleansingâ of the Islamic sect.
The letter, signed by 76 MPs and 57 peers refers to shocking video footage seen earlier in the summer of ChineseUighurs being sent to internment camps. In the letter, the signatories make a comparison to the Nazis in 1930s Germany loading Jewish people onto trains to be sent to concentration camps. The letter includes the signatures of Lord Dannatt, the former chief of the General Staff of the Armed forces as well as Tom Tugendhat, the chairman of Parliamentâs influential and high profile Foreign Affairs Committee.
China has been roundly criticised by much of the world for its treatment of Uighurs and this letter represents the most senior intervention by British politicians yet. The letter says, âThe Chinese Governmentâs actions must be stated for what they are: a systematic and calculated programme of ethnic cleansing against the Uighur people. When the world is presented with such overwhelming evidence of gross human rights abuses, nobody can turn a blind eye.â
Silent on Christian Persecution
Yet turning a blind eye is what these same politicians have been doing for decades. Whilst what is happening to Muslims in China is dreadul, religious persecution in the communist state is sadly nothing new. For many years Christians have been driven underground and have faced widespread persecution with many church leaders arrested and âdisappearingâ. It is a wonder as to why only when islamic people are targeted for persecution is there any real interest. It is almost as if there is a tacit acceptance of Christian persecution through the silence.
Open Doors, a Christian persecution watch organisation places China number 23 on its World Watch List 2020 of the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian. They say the reason Chinese authorities use persecutipon against religious people is all to do with power and control: âThe goal of the Communist Party of China, led by President Xi Jinping, is to maintain its power through national unity â including the control of all religions. Since the Communist Party took over the implementation of the regulations on religion, the treatment of religious groups has become much harsher. Christians are a particular focus because they are the largest social force in China that isnât controlled by the state.â
The Chinese Communist Party is constantly seeking continued and increased power and control over the Chinese population. It uses persecution as a common practice to try to subjugate people it sees as a threat. Reliogious people are a threat becuase they operate under a different code to the desired code of the Chinese Communist party.
Ethnic Cleansing
With Donald Trump set to impose tough new sanctions on China as part of his re-election bid, China has been coming under increased pressure from Western countries to change its policies towards the Uighurs. It is alledged the internment camps go much further than mere behavioural change treatments with allegations including population limiting through the use of sterilisation and forced abortions.
Whilst it is good to see the vile practices of the Chinese Communist Party gaining more coverage, it is important to remember there are many other groups the Chinese authorities have been persecuting for many years. Hopefully the spotlight being shone on Chinese persecution of Uighur Muslims will expose its track record of subjugation through persecution that has been the mainstay of the regime.
Breaking the Power
Depsite all the persecution, it is estimated there are over 97 million Christians in China which accounts for nearly 7% of the population. Whilst still a minority, it is a significant minority and all the more significant given the widespread persecution Christians face on a regular basis. The underground church in China is one of the fastest growing churches in the world and it is clear believers there have decided to follow Jesus regardless of the costs.
The power the Chinese Commmunist Party wields extends far beyond the borders of China. It seeks to be a dominant power in the world and seeks to acheive so by bulldozing anything and anybody in the way of it achieving its dream of overtaking America as the worldâs largest economy. We need to be wary of China, especially regarding end times prophecies of âbeing aware the kings of the eastâ.
Their power is a demonic one and therefore one that can only be broken by God. We need to come before God and pray that the Holy Spirit would come and break the power of the Chinese Communist Party, that they either be saved or brought to their knees. We need to pray for our brothers and sisters as well as other minorities in China who face the daily reality of persecution. Let us pray for their strength, that they will be bold and will not give in to the evil and destructive Chinese regime.
