Cvusoglu criticizes Islamic Cooperation's stance on Uyghurs

Turkish Foreign Minister Cvusoglu has criticized the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for turning a blind eye to the Uyghur issue at the 48th Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which began on March 22 in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. Cvusoglu said that Turkey expects Muslim governments to use their "good relations" with countries like China to improve the situation of Muslim groups in these countries. 

This is the first time that Cvusoglu has openly addressed the Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states, who have turned a blind eye to the Uyghur issue or supported China, such as Pakistan. 

Cvusoglu said: "Dear brothers and sisters, there is a saying in Turkish that a friend hurts. Friends gathered today. We need to ask ourselves the question, first of all, how do we organize our home? Our world is going through difficult times. The war in Europe is affecting everyone. We are living in an age where interests are at the forefront of human dignity and moral values ​​are weakening. The names of many Islamic countries have been marked by war, terrorism, suffering and massacres. In China, Uighur Turks and other Muslims are having a hard time protecting their religious rights and cultural identities. " 

Cvusoglu also said that it is very easy to blame others, but what can be changed by accusing others, that the Islamic world is suffering, and that it is not right to turn a blind eye to the plight of the Uyghurs. 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Cvusoglu addressed the meeting

Cvusoglu said: So are the rest of us listening to this discomfort? Is it right to ignore the situation of Uyghur Turks? We do not want Muslim countries to live in conflict with these countries. "On the contrary, we want to use our good relations to improve the situation of the Muslim community." 

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davuto , who has always maintained good relations with China and tried to prevent the Uyghur issue from escalating into a Turkish-Chinese crisis, said that while Uyghurs abroad have received mostly positive reviews, some experts and organizations have said that Cvusoglu's remarks are not enough. Mustafa Akyol, a senior researcher at the CATO Institute in Washington, D.C. 

Mustafa Akyol said in an interview on March 22 that "Turkish Foreign Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo چan's speech at the Islamic Conference in Islamabad on the issue of Uyghurs and the issue of religious freedom for Uyghurs is a positive development and a positive trend. "It simply came to our notice then. 

But according to Mustafa Akyol, the plight of the Uyghurs is a matter of transcendence of religious freedom and is considered a "genocide." "It simply came to our notice then. Some countries in the West see this as a genocidal issue. That is, millions of people are being held captive in camps, and women are being forced to have abortions and childbirth. This is an issue that transcends religious freedom. The issue of religious freedom exists in many countries around the world. But that is something that transcends it. In fact, his remarks were timid. However, it is not enough that Cvusoglu is mentioned, but it is a positive step without the mention of many Islamic countries. " 

Another reason for Cvusoglu's speech was that for the first time, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi was invited to speak at a meeting hosted by Pakistan. This move by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has deeply disturbed Uyghur organizations. 

The World Uyghur Congress (WUC) said in a statement on March 21 that it was "deeply concerned" that Wang Yi had been invited to the meeting, and that the Chinese government's invitation to Wang Yi at a time when the Chinese government was committing genocide against the Uyghurs had tarnished its reputation. 

The President of the World Uyghur Congress, Dolgun Isa, told us in an interview on March 22 that the actions of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation were unacceptable. According to Wave Jesus, China is also using Islamic phobia in so-called Western countries, or Islamic terror, to incite Muslim countries.   

Mustafa Akiyol of the Kato Institute in the United States said that China's common ground with Islamic countries was playing an important role in turning a blind eye to the Uyghur issue. 

"Because these countries, such as Saudi Arabia or Pakistan, do not give consent when they complain about the Islamic terror in the West or because they mention the Kashmir issue," Mustafa Akyol said. It will have an impact on the societies in those countries, protecting Muslims and demonstrating Islamic sensitivity. But when he talks about Uyghurs, he fears a breakdown in relations with China. "China is very important to them, especially to Pakistan." 

According to Mustafa Akyol, China is also cooperating with the dictatorial regimes in the Islamic world. "China is doing this here, I am fighting terrorism, I am cracking down on separatists, this is my internal affair," he said. It is also the language of authoritarian regimes in the Islamic world. That is to say, Saudi Arabia says that no one should interfere in my internal affairs even if I order the opposition to die. This is the attitude of all the dictatorial regimes in the Islamic world. So China is addressing them in a language they understand and accept. " 

Wang Yi was invited to the meeting at a time when the Chinese government is denouncing the language, religion and culture of Muslims in the Uyghur Autonomous Region and forcing them to be Chineseized. 

"Chinese culture and Islamic culture have made a significant contribution to human history," he said at the conference, adding that although both cultures have been "treated unfairly" in recent times, they are now on the path to revival and development. He said he had to deal with it.