Genocidal Paradox: Exposing Western hypocrisy on Xinjiang and Gaza

Editor's note: The West is facing global criticism for turning a blind eye to Israel's ongoing indiscriminate military attacks in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, resulting in the deaths of thousands of civilians, including women and children — actions labeled by peace activists as 'genocide.' Simultaneously, the same Western powers stand accused of propagating an unfounded narrative of 'genocide' in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Ebrahim Hashem, an Emirati Strategist and Asia Global Fellow at Hong Kong University's Asia Global Institute, who recently visited Xinjiang, has been a vocal critic of such Western double standards. As Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi hosts a delegation of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers in Beijing on Nov. 20-21 to discuss de-escalation in the Israel-Gaza conflict and a just resolution for the Palestinian issue, CGTN's Sr. International Editor Abhishek G. Bhaya spoke with Hashem to decode Western hypocrisy and inconsistencies on Gaza and Xinjiang. The views expressed in the video are his own and not necessarily those of CGTN.

Edited excerpts:

CGTN: Can you share your firsthand experiences and observations from your recent visit to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region?

Ebrahim Hashem: Well, it was an amazing trip. I was not really expecting it to be so diverse. The region Xinjiang is so diverse and also so developed like you know, more developed than I thought. So you have the Xinjiang (Uygur Autonomous) Region, and then you have the cities Urumqi, Kashgar (Kashi), and Turpan. These are the places that I actually visited. So, I spent around 20 days there. The infrastructure in Xinjiang is highly developed. I would assume that this level of development is as high as any city in any so-called developed country. And it's really safe, very secure. I never felt there was any security issue or anything.

Xinjiang is a huge region. It represents around one-sixth of China's landmass and has a lot of ethnicities, and you have this history of different religions coexisting peacefully together. It's like a melting pot of different ethnicities and different religions. So I was really amazed by what I saw. It really blew my mind away.

When you read about the region, especially when you read the Western media, you tend to have some doubts. Maybe there are some issues, maybe there are some challenges, but when I went there, I actually realized that whatever I was reading in Western media was basically a blatant lie.

CGTN: What do you have to say about the Western allegations of "genocide" in Xinjiang?

Ebrahim Hashem: We have to first of all define what we mean by genocide. Genocide - one simple definition for it is the deliberate killing or elimination of a large number of people from a particular ethnic group within the country. The cultural genocide is basically the elimination of the group's culture. 

So, if we look at this definition and then you go and see the reality, it's totally not applicable. It's totally detached from the reality. Those who accuse China of "genocide" have to go and see it for themselves.

Now, let's talk about the numbers. So, the Uygur is one of the 56 ethnicities or (one of the 55) minorities within China. And the number of Uygurs, in relation to the past, has been increasing. So, if there's a killing or elimination of Uygurs, you would expect the number to go down, but in fact, the number has been going up.

Talking about the "cultural genocide" that some people accuse China of, look at the Uygur language. Whenever I walked down the streets in Urumqi, Kashgar (Kashi), or Turpan, the Uygur language was used widely in stores, restaurants, and in the streets. The language is still there. It's one of the languages recognized by the Chinese government and it's actually used on the currency.

Now, let's talk about religion. Uygurs are mainly Muslim. Based on the allegations in the Western media, I was expecting the mosques to not be marked clearly. I thought I would go there, and the mosques would be, like always in Europe and the United States, they are hidden in buildings. On the contrary, when I went there, I saw the mosques were clearly marked, and the architecture of the mosque was beautiful, which added to the beauty of the city. It gave me this feeling of harmony and peaceful coexistence in that region.

So just going back to the point about "genocide" allegations, they are really just allegations.

CGTN: While on the topic of genocide, as we talk, the world is currently witnessing a massive human tragedy occurring in the Palestinian territories, particularly in Gaza. What is your assessment? Do you agree with this view that what is going on in Gaza right now is a genocide?

Ebrahim Hashem: What's happening right now in Palestine is a textbook case for genocide. And if you look at the numbers, more than 70 percent of those who have been killed are women and children. The number of fatalities or the number of those who have been murdered, killed, and massacred by the Israeli army is already above 10,000 people.

So, when you talk about genocide, and if you really want to be fair-minded and look at the two cases, Xinjiang in this case and Gaza, you basically see double standards. Here in Xinjiang, nothing is happening, no genocide, nothing. On the contrary, in Xinjiang, people are prospering. When I was in Xinjiang, I was walking down the streets and I got this really positive energy, and positive vibes from the places that I visited and the people that I met.

So just going back to the case of genocide in Gaza, you see a deliberate attempt by the Israeli army to eliminate these people. Now, going back to the definition of genocide, it is the deliberate killing or elimination of a group of people, and what's happening in Gaza is really applicable to this definition.

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