Celebration of Eid-ul-Adha at Lambeth Town Hall

Celebration of Eid-ul-Adha at

Lambeth Town Hall

Dr. Mozammel Haque

The Mayor of Lambeth Council, Councillor Ibrahim Dogus, organised a belated Eid-ul-Adha celebration at the Lambeth Town Hall, on Monday, the 30^th of September 2019. It was attended by the Speaker of the Hackney Council, Councillor Kam Adams, Councillor Mohamed Jaser of Stockwell Ward, Community leaders, activists and representatives of charities.

Eid ul Adha celebrated at

Lambeth Town Hall

Speaking to the gathering, Mayor Ibrahim said, “Kurban bayram kutlu olsun!  A belated Eid Mubarak!” and he also mentioned, “I’ve already had the great privilege, of celebrating Eid this year all across Lambeth. And it is an honor to be able to extend the celebrations here with you this evening.”

Explaining what is Eid, Mayor Ibrahim said, “Eid is a time for reflection and starting afresh, a time to rejoice with family and friends, but also a time for remembering those who are less fortunate.” 

“It’s a time to count our blessings while also giving charity to those in need,” he said. 

Mentioning about Lambeth, The Mayor Ibrahim said, “Lambeth is home to one of the most unique communities in the world, and there is always something special, about seeing us come together, united in our differences.”

“I’ve often heard it said, that it is the destination, not the journey, that is most important,” he said.

Mayor Ibrahim spoke about the community united. He said, “Wherever you come from, wherever you’ve been, or wherever you may end up, we are all together here today as citizens of Lambeth, united as a community. Breaking bread with your neighbours, as we are tonight, should be the most natural act in the world.”

“But sadly, what comes so easily to us has greater and greater symbolism, in the increasingly divisive times in which we live. So for that reason, and many more, I thank you for coming!” Councillor Ibrahim Dogus said.

Concluding his speech Mayor Ibrahim wishes “all a peaceful and prosperous year to come, Let’s continue to lift each other up, and make a better community for all. Thank you!” 

Roots of Ibrahim Dogus and his family

Mayor Ibrahim Dogus came to London as a Kurdish refugee, aged 14, in 1994 and able to speak barely any English, few could have predicted the remarkable path ahead of him. From humble beginnings working long, gruelling hours in a Turkish restaurant, he began to salt away his modest earnings, with the dream of bigger things to come. “It was really tough life at first.” Ibrahim recalled fondly. “I was working up to 16 hours a day for seven days a week.”

“But I was always aware that it was the only way to grow and give myself opportunities in the future I was working towards something. There is no better incentive than knowing that,” Councillor Ibrahim said.

He now runs several successful small businesses and not for profit organisations including three restaurants in South London where more than 50 people are employed. His act of selflessness during the Westminster attack was published by the Independent and shared by readers across the globe.

From Teenage refugee to

Mayor of Lambeth Council

Mayor Ibrahim Dogus’s journey is a long, hard work and dedication. From teenage refugee forced to flee the political turmoil of Turkey to the successful businessman, community leader, charity fundraiser and politician. Ibrahim father of two, yet to celebrate his 40^th birthday remains humble about his achievement.

It was mentioned his roots in proud Kurdish traditions and principles have provided a solid core to his work. While his family life with wife Raife Aytek and two young sons, Mirzan 9, and Alan 4, gave him reason to pursue a better future. At the age of 19, Ibrahim was elected chair of Halkevi, one of the UK’s largest community centres serving 16,000 people, where he had a team of 30 staff working to integrate Turkish and Kurdish communities.

After a spell as the chair of a national Kurdish/Turkish charity, he is now the founder and director of the centre for Turkish Studies (CEFTUS), Centre for Kurdish Progress, the founder of the Telgraf newspaper for Kurdish and Turkish communities and the London Kurdish Film Festival and the publisher of this community newspaper, Lambeth Life.

The latest stage in that community work and public service saw Ibrahim elected as the Mayor of Lambeth. It is an office he will take over after working alongside the present incumbent, Councillor Christopher Wellbelove, as deputy over the past year.

“It was one of the proudest days of my life,” said Councillor Ibrahim. “I love Lambeth and representing the place I live with my family and where my businesses are is a huge honour,” he said.

Dream of Mayor Ibrahim

Clean Safer Lambeth

That this civic recognition comes just a year after he was elected by Labour to represent Bishop’s Ward, where he lives with his family, is a clear sign that far more is still to be achieved.

“There is no quick fix, but I will be doing everything I can as Mayor to try to make Lambeth a cleaner, safer place to live and work and to tackle those key issues like the lack of affordable housing, “ the Mayor Ibrahim said.

About his dreams and wishes, the Mayor Ibrahim said to Lambeth Life, “I am looking forward to an exciting year representing Lambeth as its mayor. I will be doing all I can to support this fantastic and diverse community.”

“I care passionately about Lambeth and would encourage everyone to get involved in helping make Lambeth an even better place to live and work,” Mayor Ibrahim said.

In 2013 he set up the British Kebab Awards to celebrate the success of the many migrants who, like him, came to the UK and set up thriving small businesses. The annual event has now become a firm fixture in the calendar for politicians of all parties.

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Kashmir The Lynchpin of Peace

Kashmir: The Lynchpin of Peace – The Role of

Labour Party in addressing the Crisis

Dr. Mozammel Haque

The Organisation of Kashmir Coalition (OKC) and the Chairman of UK Pakistani and Kashmiri Councillors Forum organised on 23 September 2019 an Interactive Dialogue at the Annual Labour Party Conference in Brighton UK. The event was chaired by Councillor Liaquat Ali, MBE.

Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl, Executive Member OKC and Chair of South Asia Centre For Peace and Human Rights (SACFPHR) introduced the event on the grave situation in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) titled "Kashmir: The Lynchpin of Peace - Role of Labour in Addressing the Crisis”.

The keynote address was given by the Shadow Labour Minister Naaz Shah MP. The event was attended by Members of the Labour Party, Members of Parliament and Councillors from all over UK,

Opening Speech by

Professor Nazir Ahmad Shawl

In his opening remarks Professor Nazir Ahmed Shawl contextualised the recent developments unleashed by the Hindu supremacist leadership in Indian Occupied Kashmir. Following the abrogation of articles 370 and 35A, a lockdown is imposed and all rights and fundamental freedoms are jeopardized. Professor Shawl thanked the Labour leadership for taking a principled stance and hoped that the leadership will fulfil its responsibility by having a full debate at the plenary of the conference with a resolution as promised at the last year’s conference. He hoped that the preventive diplomacy of the UN and the British Government to end the siege and help the people of Jammu and Kashmir to realise their right of self determination.

Shadow Minister Naz Shah MP

Shadow Minister Naz Shah MP, in her address, remarked that RSS Government has a fascist outlook and as such the siege in the valley is part of their genocidal campaign. She continued by comparing the situation in Kashmir to the siege of Srebrenica and Bosnia: “Its aim is ethnic cleansing. Genocide is not a bilateral issue. It is not a Muslim issue. It is an issue for the entire world”, Ms Shah opined that Labour ought to stand in support and solidarity with the Kashmiris. She assured the participants that it will be taken up at the main plenary and a debate on Kashmir will also be taken up in the Parliament. She commented that as a daughter of Kashmir she would fulfil her obligations for the people of the state.

Councillor Liaquat Ali MBE

Councillor Liaquat Ali MBE Chairman of UK Pakistani and Kashmiri Councillors Forum, said in his speech, “As of today, it’s been 50 days that Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK) is completely lockdown with no communication with the outside world. Reports of human rights abuses and people’s sufferings, killings, abductions, illegal detention of over 10,000 Kashmiris, rape and use of lethal and prohibited weapons are being reported in the international media with comments that their reporters could have only very limited access. The magnitude of the actual atrocities could be gauged from such restricted reports. A compilation of those reports has been prepared. This situation has been causing deep concerns among the Parliamentarians in the UK, members of civil society and international community and had been heart wrenching for the families of Kashmiris imprisoned in IOK. 

He also said, “Kashmiris have no access to health, education, food, business or livelihood. And this is happening in 21st century, when technology connects the whole world with a click, and amidst mighty protectors of human rights, a so-called democracy brutally trampling rights of defenceless Kashmiri nation with impunity.”

Councillor Ali also thanked the key note speakers and all the participants for debating the crisis situation in Kashmir. He hoped that the Kashmir issue to be included in the election manifesto of the Labour party. At the end a unanimous Declaration has been adopted.

The Brighton Declaration:

• This event held at the Annual Labour Party Conference highlights the extra ordinary situation caused by India's unconstitutional and unlawful action in the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K);

• Kashmiris are claimed in the name of Hindutva style democracy and further colonised in the name of development. The lockdown is affecting 8 million people on the 52nd day. It has created a human rights crisis of catastrophic proportions;

• It is not only creating human suffering but also posing a great threat to international peace and security;

• It violates India's own constitution and the UN resolutions 122,123 and 126 passed in 1957; and

• The consequences of the abrogation of articles 370 and 35A are horrendous; It is aimed to demolish Kashmir identity and bring a demographic change.

It is hoped that the Labour Leadership shall play a proactive role as voice of the British people to invoke the preventive diplomacy of UN to save humanity in Kashmir and create an environment for peaceful resolution.

• The current blockade must end with utter commitment for the promotion and protection of all Kashmiris human rights;

• The complete withdrawal of Indian military presence from Kashmiri towns and villages;

• All restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and right of association should be lifted;

• A fact finding international commission should visit the imprisoned Kashmir to take stock of existential realities; and

• International community should facilitate a multilateral engagement among all stakeholders; Kashmiris being the most affected party.

Kashmir Discussed at the UN Security Council

Kashmir discussed at the UN Security Council

Dr. Mozammel Haque

After the revocation of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution by the Indian Hindu Nationalist Government on 5^th of August 2019, there was condemnation, protests and demonstrations all over the world including Indian parliament. British Parliamentarians condemned the revocation of Article 370 by the Indian Government and wrote to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Similarly, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kashmir wrote a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations on this matter. There were demonstrations and protests in front of Indian High Commission in London. China has brought the matter to the UN Security Council to discuss the case.

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai, Secretary General World Kashmir Awareness Forum, has written about this topic on 27 August 2019 as follows:

Kashmir discussed at the UN Security Council after 50 years

Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai

August 27, 2019.

“The position of the United Nations on this region (Kashmir) is governed by the Charter of the United Nations and applicable Security Council resolutions.” Mr. Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, August 8, 2019.

India, disregarding what Secretary General said and ignoring all norms of international law and the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir abrogated Articles 370 and 35A of the Indian constitution and thereby bringing a constitutional end to the special status of the State.

We believe that abrogation of article 370 and 35 A is an act of aggression and assault on the rights of the people of the State.  Such attempts are in open contravention of UN resolution #122 adopted on January 24, 1957; # 123 adopted on February 21, 1957 and # 126 adopted on December 2, 1957. These resolutions prohibit any unilateral action to change the disputed nature of the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

It is to be noted that the United Nations Security Council Resolution # 122 “declares that the convening of a constituent assembly as recommended by the General council of the ‘All Jammu and Kashmir National Conference’ and any action that assembly may have taken or might attempt to take to determine the future shape and affiliation of the entire State or any part thereof, or any action by the parties concerned in support of any such action by the assembly, would not constitute a disposition of the State in accordance with the above principle.”

Today, Kashmir is in turmoil. The government of India has imposed curfew, banned all public meetings and placed the Kashmiri leadership under house arrest. All educational institutions have been closed.  Internet services snapped and all university examinations postponed. Barricades have been erected on all entry and exit points in Srinagar and other cities. 

“Imagine for a moment that nearly all residents of the US state of Virginia -- population roughly 8.5 million -- were blocked from communicating with each other or the outside world. Imagine that their movements within their neighborhoods were highly restricted due to military-enforced curfews and checkpoints. And imagine they could not access reliable information because, due to the clampdown, journalists were largely prevented from reporting or publishing the news. This may sound like the plot of a dystopian novel, but it is almost exactly what's happening in the Indian-administered Kashmir Valley right now.” CNN – Opinion, August 15, 2019.

It must be mentioned here that India presents a wholly false picture of the situation in Kashmir. One instance is revealing. When the whole world knows that Kashmir is caged and it is literally under siege, Rohit Kansal, the Principal Secretary of Jammu & Kashmir Government said that it was very peaceful in Kashmir. The irresponsibility of this kind of disinformation is borne out by the fact, reported in The New York Times, dated August 10, 2019, that, “Inside Kashmir, Cut Off From the World: ‘A Living Hell of Anger and Fear.” Amnesty International tweeted that “The unilateral decision by Government of India to revoke Jammu & Kashmir's special status without consulting J&K stakeholders, amidst a clampdown on civil liberties & communications blackout is likely to increase the risk of further human rights violations & inflame tensions.”

In the context of preventive diplomacy to find a peaceful solution of Kashmir problem, President Donald J. Trump expressed his readiness to extend every possible help to facilitate a search for a lasting solution to the “hot hot tinder box of Kashmir.” As was expected, India virtually rejected this offer. Indian foreign minister responded that they would like to resolve Kashmir dispute under Simla Agreement. The Indian contention that the conflict would be settled under Simla Agreement is designed to negate the jurisdiction of the United Nations over the dispute, on the one hand, and, on the other, to eliminate the party most directly concerned, i.e., the people of Kashmir.

The statement of the Secretary General made it abundantly clear that Simla Agreement does not and cannot supersede the UN resolutions. “The Secretary-General also recalls the 1972 Agreement on bilateral relations between India and Pakistan, also known as the Simla Agreement, which states that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir is to be settled by peaceful means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”

Kashmir is one of the oldest unresolved conflicts on the agenda of the UN to which the Security Council devoted scores of meetings and on which it adopted more than a dozen substantive resolutions. Mere passage of time or the flight from realities, which is characteristic of Indian leadership, cannot alter this reality. The mere fact that the Security Council debated the Kashmir issue on August 16, 2019 for the first time within the past 50 years nullifies the India’s contention that Kashmir is its internal matter.

The Security Council meeting on ‘the situation in Kashmir’, held on August 16, 2019 was a closed-door meeting. However, Chinese Ambassador briefed the press soon after the Council meeting that, "The Kashmir issue should be resolved properly through peaceful means in accordance with the UN charter, the relevant Security Council resolutions, and bilateral agreements.” The Ambassador emphasized, “This represents the international community's consensus." He added that "China is deeply concerned about the current situation and opposes any unilateral action that complicates the situation and we call upon the relevant parties to exercise restraint.” What happened at the Security Council was also articulated by Abhishek Manu Singhvi. Mr. Singhvi is not only the leader of Indian National Congress; he is also the Spokesman of Indian National Congress. He said, I quote: “the United Nations Security Council meeting on Kashmir was a big diplomatic and strategic failure of the BJP government.”

Therefore, as an instance of impartial and humane opinion on the issue, we submit to the Secretary General of the United Nations – the custodian of human rights -- the following:

First, we are thankful to the President of the United Nations Security Council for bringing this matter to the attention of the Council. The members of the Council undoubtedly knew that leaving the problem unattended could lead to serious consequences not only in Subcontinent but also beyond.

Second, the Secretary General could appoint his special envoy, a person of an international standing, like Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former UN High Commissioner on Human Rights or Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway. Such an envoy could visit India & Pakistan and both sides of the Ceasefire Line in Jammu & Kashmir, assess the situation, and explore various possibilities of plan of action to set a stage for the settlement of the Kashmir dispute to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.

Third, special envoy could urge Government of India to pull out bulk of its 750,000 military and paramilitary forces from Kashmir to pave the way for normalcy in Kashmir.

Fourth the envoy could also impress upon the Government of India that the following measure are essential to create an atmosphere that is conducive for a dialogue:

i.               An immediate and complete cessation of military action against the people of Kashmir;

ii.              The complete withdrawal of India’s military presence from Kashmiri towns and villages;

iii.            The restoration of the rights of peaceful association, assembly and demonstration;

iv.            The unconditional release of all those imprisoned in connection with resistance and during the past two weeks of undeclared curfew;

v.              The encouragement by the Governments of India and Pakistan of a dialogue with the accredited leadership of the people of the State of Jammu & Kashmir to facilitate proposals for the final settlement of the dispute.

Dr. Fai is the Secretary General, World Kashmir Awareness Forum.

He can be reached at: 1-202-607-6435  or  gnfai2003@yahoo.com

British Parliamentarians Strongly Condemn Revocation of Article 370

British Parliamentarians Condemns Revocation

of Article 370  by the Indian Government

Dr. Mozammel Haque

India's Hindu-nationalist BJP government on Monday, 5^th of August 2019  revoked Article 370 of India's constitution, limiting the region's decision-making powers and eliminating its right to its own constitution. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi also downgraded Indian-administered Kashmir from statehood to two federally administered territories - Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh - ruled directly by New Delhi. 

Sixteen Members of British Parliament signed a letter to the British Prime Minister on the issue of revoking Article 370 of the Indian Constitution by the BJP Nationalist leader Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and urged him to put principle before Britains’s trade relationship and speak up for the Kashmiri people to whom we have a responsibility to help.

Meanwhile, a petition was filed with India's Supreme Court on Thursday by an activist challenging the curfew in Kashmir, which was imposed to suppress any unrest in response to the loss of autonomy.

British MP says Modi Doesn't deserve

UAE's highest Civilian Award

Labour Party parliamentarian Naz Shah has said that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is involved in crimes against humanity and doesn’t deserve the highest civilian award that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government plans to give him.

It has been reported that the UAE will give the Order of Zayed, the highest civilian award of the country, to Modi when he visits the country next week.

Writing to Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Force, the Labour MP from Bradford said that Prime Minister Modi is illegally removing the sovereignty of the Kashmiri people in Indian occupied Kashmir, through the forced removal of article 370 and 35A.

Naz Shah MP said in the letter to the UAE ruler: “It saddened me greatly, after returning from the holy pilgrimage of Hajj, to see the news that Modi, once recognised as the butcher of Gujarat being offered the UAE's highest civilian honour. A title in the name of your founding father Shaykh Zayed. Shaykh Zayed was a man of great honour; a figure who is remembered in the annals of history as exemplifying decent, charity, and support for oppressed peoples. May God have mercy upon his soul. To grant such recognition to an individual who is oppressing the Kashmiri people in the name of Shaykh Zayed, not only questions the value of this previously prestigious title, misrepresents his legacy but also forces the world to debate the nature or your moral conscious.

“I ask you to question this decision and reconsider giving such an award, not only because the majority of the Kashmiri people share the same faith as you, but because we have a duty as human beings to stand up against the disregard of human rights and evil.

“If your trade deals prevent you from making a stand, or even speaking up on behalf of the Kashmiri people – at the very least, as a representative of the people of UAE, remain silent and condemn the actions of Prime Minister Modi within your heart. For the people of Kashmir, I ask that you at least show this recognition, rather than celebrating and endorsing an oppressor, while the cries of the oppressed are blocked out.”

She wrote that Modi has made occupied Kashmir the most militarized region in the world. Modi has placed the people of occupied Jammu and Kashmir into a complete lockdown for the last 15 days, with the shutdown of telecommunications, internet and other sources of communications. There have been reports of political leaders living under house arrest, political activists injured with pellet guns, curfews and a maze of razor wire that is locking the capital’s population into an open prison. After being on a 5-day fact-finding mission in Kashmir, Secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association, Kavita Krishnan, described occupied Kashmir as being under a military siege and stated, “Frankly, it looked like occupied Iraq or occupied Palestine.”

She told Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in the letter that the actions of the Indian government have thrown ordinary people’s lives into turmoil, subjecting them to unnecessary pain and distress in top of the years of human rights violations they has already endured.

Rt Hon. Emily Thornberry on Uyghur Muslims in China

Rt. Hon. Emily Thornberry MP

Uighur Muslims in China

Dr. Mozammel Haque

I have been writing on Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang and I have attended many seminars and conferences in London on Uyghur Muslims. Leaders and shadow ministers of the Labour Party have expressed their concerns. In one of the conferences Rt. Hon. Emily Thornberry, Shadow Foreign Secretary, MP gave a lecture on the situation of Uyghur Muslims. I reported that and sent her a copy.

In reply to that, Rt. Hon. Thornberry, MP sent me the following letter. She said in her letter, “I have been completely appalled by the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China. It is chilling to read the reports of the persecution that is taking place and I agree with you entirely that the international community must come together to tell the Chinese authorities that it needs to stop.”

She also said, “We must support the calls from the UN for the Chinese authorities to shut down the so-called ‘re-education camps’ and our government needs to continue to use other inter-governmental forums to apply pressure on the Chinese to ensure that the religious, ethnic and cultural rights.”

“In the UK, I want to see the Home Office expediting asylum applications from Uighur Muslims and making sure that we do not deport any Uighur asylum seekers back to China. We also need to be urging any private companies operating in Xianjiang province to end any business operations that could be contributing to human rights abuses, said Shadow Foreign MP for Islington South and Finsbury.

She mentioned, “At this stage the government should be considering imposing individual sanctions on some of the individuals at the centre of this issue, such as State Secretary Chen. They also need to be looking serious at implementing further controls on the export of surveillance equipment to the Chinese authorities if there is a risk of it being used to monitor and oppress Uighur Muslims.”

As I mentioned earlier I have covered many events on Uyghur Muslims. Followings are some of the excerpts from those reports on Uyghur Muslims.

The Uyghur Situation in Xinjiang:

A Form of “Cultural Genocide”

“We must talk about the crisis Xinjiang in terms of possible “crimes against humanity” and – if not genocide, certainly a form of “cultural genocide.” It involves the elimination of culture, and a campaign of ‘Sinicisation’.” said Benedict Rogers, a member of the advisory board of the International Coalition to End Organ Trafficking in China (ETAC), and a trustee of the Phan Foundation and the Chin Human Rights Foundation, at an event “Understanding the Uyghur Situation in Xinjiang” at the Houses of Parliament.

Henry Jackson Society organised the event “Understanding the Uyghur Situation in Xinjiang” on 10^th of January 2019, at the Houses of Parliament. Lord Hannay of Chiswick hosted as well as chaired the discussion in which Benedict Rogers, Rossie Blau, Dr. Enver Tohti and Rahima Mahmut discussed the Uyghur situation in Xinjiang.

The President of the World Uyghur Congress, Mr. Dolkun Isa along with his delegation visited the Islamic Cultural Centre, London on Monday, the 21^st of January, 2019 and met Dr. Ahmad al-Dubayan, the Director General of the London Central Mosque Trusts and the Islamic Cultural Centre and his staff at the Board Room of the Centre. Dr. al-Dubayan introduced the Islamic Cultural Centre and gave a brief history, background of the foundation of the Centre as well as the activities of the Mosque and the Centre.

World Uyghur Congress President

Dolkun Isa

The President of the World Uyghur Congress Dolkun Isa introduced the situation of Uyghur in Eastern Turkestan. He said, “Xinjiang is autonomous, China does not call Eastern Turkestan. China calls Xinjiang; it is a Chinese name. Xin is new and jiang is border territory. It is a new territory for China. The territorial size is 1.6 million square kilometres (640,000 square miles); it is five times larger than Germany; may be, five or six times larger than the United Kingdom. Most of the places are mountain; only 4.6 per cent inhabitable; 94 per cent is mountainous; but it is rich territory; it is rich in resources, uranium, gold. This is the main reason for the Chinese government. Though the territory is rich, but we the Turkestani people are very poor, because we cannot use all the natural resources; never been benefitted by the Uyghur people. It is used by the Chinese government.”

Dolkun Isa, the President of the World Uyghur Congress, started. “Tragedy has brought the Uyghur and Rohingya people together today. Uyghurs and the Rohingyas have been attacked, assaulted, disappeared and forced to leave their lands. Millions of innocent people are suffering greatly at the hands of Chinese and Myanmar governments,” Isa said.

WUC President also mentioned, “Today millions of Uyghurs are arbitrarily detained in concentration camps by the Chinese authorities. All families are suffering being tortured and dying in the camps. Those of us living outside East Turkestan are deeply saddened and sorrowed by our inability to save them. We are in the 21^st century; communication is no issue at all today. It is a big and serious issue for Uyghurs to forget their family members.”

I am fortunate enough on Monday, the 11^th of February 2019 that I attended the Lords’ Chamber as guest of Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham and listened to the debates, Lord Ahmed asked the question on Uyghur Muslims Community in China. Followings are the question and reply on Uyghur Muslims in China at the House of Lords chamber on 11 February, 2019.

Closure of these concentration camps

And access for UN representatives

Lord Ahmed (Non-Afl) said, “I thank the Minister for his reply. As he has already confirmed, according to media and social media reports, concentration camps, mass surveillance, forced disappearances, torture and the banning of religious practices are all happening there. Will the Minister join me in condemning these gross violations of human rights by the Chinese authorities, and will he demand the closure of these concentration camps and access for UN representatives to confirm that the detainees have been released and the camps have been closed down?”

We are working on this, including with

the UN – replied Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon replied: “The noble Lord rightly raises important issues and concerns. Reports have also indicated that even basic expressions of religious symbolism, such as the growing of a beard or the wearing of a headscarf, are used as indicators to target particular communities. I assure the noble Lord that we are working on this, including with the UN, which he mentioned. We have clearly asked the Chinese authorities to implement the full recommendations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and we have reminded them both bilaterally—as the Foreign Secretary did last year in his meeting with the Chinese Foreign Minister—and in the Human Rights Council that our concerns about the camps and the reports from our diplomats in Beijing require action. On human rights more generally, I assure the noble Lord that I am specifically looking at the next meeting of the Human Rights Council in March to see how we cannot just lobby on this issue but build stronger alliances.

China’s Ethnic Cleansing of Uyghurs –

From Oppression To Genocide

“Uyghurs are helpless and on the edge of disappearing from this world. Humanity is crying out every minute in the hearts of Uyghurs. The world must save the Uyghurs before it is too late. Money cannot buy love of humanity! Uyghurs need your support!” said Aziz Isa Elkun, Secretary of Uyghur PEN Centre while presenting a paper at the Conference on China’s Brute Crackdown on Uyghur Muslims, organised by the Cordoba Foundation, London, on 15 February 2019 at the London Muslim Centre, London.