Biden said the United States also reaffirms its support for Muslim communities suffering hardship and devastation.
Washington:
President Joe Biden expressed “solidarity” with China’s Uyghur minority in a message to Muslims around the world on Thursday as they celebrate the holy month of Ramadan.
“Along with our partners, the United States stands in solidarity with Muslims who are facing persecution, including the Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of China, the Rohingya in Burma, and other Muslim communities facing persecution around the world,” Biden said in a statement. facing.”
“During this sacred time of reflection, the United States also reaffirms our support for Muslim communities suffering hardship and devastation,” Biden said, referring to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria and flood victims in Pakistan.
“Today in particular, we remember the universal human right to peacefully and openly practice, pray and propagate one’s beliefs.”
Biden’s highlighting of the Uighurs – who the US government says are being subjected to genocide by Chinese Communist authorities – came at a time of strong tensions between Washington and Beijing.
According to rights groups, Uyghurs are largely imprisoned in forced labor camps and banned from expressing their culture. Beijing says ethnic minorities are not being repressed and any security measures in the northwestern region of Xinjiang are a response to the threat of terrorism.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)