Refuting the claims made by the Chinese Mission to the United Nations, a pro-Uyghurs body on Wednesday slammed Beijing for asserting that it protects cultural customs and relics of ethnic minorities.
"Seriously? China claims that it 'protects the cultural heritage of ethnic minority groups' while engaging in a systematic campaign to destroy the cultural heritage of #Uyghurs. Since 2017, for example, China has demolished: 65 per cent of mosques and 30 per cent of important Islamic sacred sites," World Uyghur Congress tweeted.
This comes after the Chinese Mission to the United Nations on Twitter said that ethnic minority cultures are an integral part of Chinese culture, adding that cultural customs and relics of ethnic minorities are protected as Chinese cultural heritages.
"Ethnic minority cultures are an integral part of Chinese culture. Cultural customs and relics of ethnic minorities are protected as Chinese cultural heritages. We have saved 1 million ancient classics from distinction. We will continue to protect our common cultural wealth," the Chinese Mission to the UN said in a tweet.
Another pro-Uyghurs body --- Campaign For Uyghurs also rebuked Beijing saying that the Chinese regime has been systematically erasing Uyghur and Turkic culture.
"The Chinese regime has been systematically erasing Uyghur and Turkic culture, orchestrating a modern-day Uyghur Genocide. The destruction of mosques and homes across East Turkistan is part of the regime's bigger plan," said Campaign For Uyghurs.
Uyghurs Activist Rushan Abbas also condemned China. "Common cultural wealth"? These cultures are distinct, not a part of #Chinese culture. You are doing your best to erase all culture outside of dancing that you can use in propaganda videos. You treat #Uyghurs as dancing monkeys!" said Abbas.
A sizeable Muslim population in Xinjiang has been incarcerating in an expanding network of "political re-education" camps, according to US officials and UN experts.
However, China regularly denies such mistreatment and says the camps provide vocational training. People in the internment camps are reportedly subjected to forced political indoctrination, torture, beatings and denial of food and medicine, besides being prohibited from practising their religion or speaking their language.
( With inputs from ANI )
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