Indonesian Ulema Council is Available for Having Dialogue with Chinese Government on Uyghur

Jakarta, MINA – The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) said they are always available for having dialogue and cooperation with the Chinese Government in an effort to improve the human rights situation for Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang Province.

“We express deep concern about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, which has not shown significant progress as stated in the report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michele Bracelet,” said MUI Chair for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim in a press statement on Tuesday.

Therefore, the MUI hoped the Chinese government will pay attention to the reports, observations, and recommendations made by Michele Bracelet to improve the human rights situation in Xinjiang for Uighurs.

MUI also encourages the Indonesian government in having dialogue with China regarding the situation in Xinjiang and involving Islamic organizations.

So far, the MUI has monitored the development of the human rights situation in the Xinjiang region, particularly regarding the freedom of worship for the Muslim-majority Uyghurs.

In addition, the MUI also noted the steps taken by  several  Western countries that had proposed a draft decision of the UN Human Rights Council regarding the development of the human rights situation in Xinjiang during the Annual Meeting of the UN Human Rights Council and they urged to immediately take a decision by voting.

There were 47 countries that took part in the voting and the result was 19 countries rejected, 17 agreed, and 11 countries abstained.

Indonesia was a country rejecting the proposal and the MUI understood it. In the Government of Indonesia’s opinion, the submission of the draft decision was not in accordance with the usual procedure because it was submitted without regard to the principles of impartiality, transparency, and inclusivity.

The Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia said, Indonesia as the largest Muslim country in the world has great concern for the fate of Muslims around the world, including in Xinjiang.

However, Indonesia’s contribution to the world’s Muslims is carried out without compromising the core values ​​of the Human Rights Council and the spirit of Multilateralism Cooperation.

The Indonesian representative also promised to continue communicating with the Chinese government by involving various related parties.

The MUI also invited the international communities not to apply double standards, especially about human rights violations, and they have to be objective, fair and show their good intentions to defend human rights. (T/ri/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)