Chinese Treatment of Muslim Minorities

[NineBerry]

Has been known for some time, but now there is a wave of reports based on internal documents having leaked.

My question is: Where is the statements by public atheist activists to distance themselves from the Chinese activities?

[L'Emmerdeur]

The Associated Press has a long article about this.

'Secret documents reveal how China mass detention camps work'

This particular set of revelations based on the document release is a breaking story--perhaps it's a bit early to expect reactions from public atheist activists. As you say, people who've been paying attention have been aware of China's harshly oppressive treatment of the Uighurs for some time. There are earlier instances of atheists denouncing it.

'China is Reportedly Murdering Religious Minorities and Harvesting Their Organs'

Atheist Republic, which claims to speak for atheists, has made note more than once of various aspects of the Chinese repression of the Uighurs (here and here, for instance).

However, I don't think that anybody who claims to speak for atheists really has that authority. No doubt there are plenty of atheists who're just fine with China's treatment of the Uighurs because of their religion. In fact, I looked at the Atheist Republic Facebook page, and under a post about this topic I found a number of rather hateful comments directed towards the Uighurs based mostly on the fact that they're majority Muslim. China may be a nominally atheist country, but it doesn't represent atheism any more than self-proclaimed 'atheist voices' like Atheist Republic do.

[Svartalf]

it's not just the Eastern Turkestan uyghurs that are treated that way... the han chinese demand utter submission and conformation to their culture and standards... when you compare Mongolian singers and musicians from MOngolia, and those from Chinese Inner mongolia, it's day and night, the southern mongols have lost all their culture...
and if you think that it's only the Uyghurs that are mistreated, expelled, sent to laogai camps, crushed under the hans' jackbooted feet etc, remember how the situation was in Tibet from 1950 on, throughout the cultural revolution, and even until today... the area has been 'pacified' through mass exodus of the natives and the dilution of those that remain into an influx of han chinese, but even so, there've been outbreaks of unrest 1987-93, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012... you see the picture... same applies to tribal minorities in Sseu Tchouan, yunnan, and around the Southwest in general...

[Svartalf]

Has been known for some time, but now there is a wave of reports based on internal documents having leaked.

My question is: Where is the statements by public atheist activists to distance themselves from the Chinese activities?

and to answer more directly the question, there is non, since atheist are a 'group' that is neither coherent nor cohesive... they are not a group per se, but a multiplivity of individuals who have the common trait of not adhering to a religious group or other, in other words, there is no central atheist face that can talk for all of us, because if anybody tried to be it, most of us would reject that person as not adequately representing them, some quite ferociously.

[L'Emmerdeur]

Your first post above makes an excellent point regarding the overall attitude toward minorities as well as the actions of the Chinese when it comes to minority groups who've come under Chinese rule one way or another, Svartalf. As to the other, I myself have made dismissive comments about Atheist Republic for their attempts to co-opt the role of 'the voice of atheists.'

Link to Facebook post & comments mentioned in my first post.

[Svartalf]

well; it's FB and I don't have an account there, or the slightest inclination to open one, they likely already have an indirect profile for me, I don't intend to give them direct data to help them bother me.

[L'Emmerdeur]

You don't need to have an account or be logged in to Facebook to read that particular page, but I certainly don't fault you for steering clear of the whole thing.

[Brian Peacock]

Has been known for some time, but now there is a wave of reports based on internal documents having leaked.

My question is: Where is the statements by public atheist activists to distance themselves from the Chinese activities?

Indeed. Moderate atheists have been conspicuous in their silence on this matter. While some high-profile moderate atheists have denied a connection between their point of view and Chinese extreme atheism, it is nonetheless undeniable that Chinese extremists are acting in the name of the very same atheism as the so-called moderates.

[rainbow]

Has been known for some time, but now there is a wave of reports based on internal documents having leaked.

My question is: Where is the statements by public atheist activists to distance themselves from the Chinese activities?

Indeed. Moderate atheist have been conspicuous in their silence on this matter. While some high-profile moderate atheists have denied a connection between their point of view and Chinese extreme atheism, it is nonetheless undeniable that Chinese extremists are acting in the name of the very same atheism as the so-called moderates.

I have no belief that Atheists exist.

[pErvinalia]

Atheists don't. atheist do.

[rainbow]

Now if 6 turned out to be 9
I don't mind, I don't mind

[JimC]

The Chinese actions against their ethnic minority have nothing to do with atheism, and everything to do with a nasty combination of authoritarian rule and Han Chinese racism.

[rainbow]

The Chinese actions against their ethnic minority have nothing to do with atheism, and everything to do with a nasty combination of authoritarian rule and Han Chinese racism.

Indeed. African students are often treated very badly when they study in China.

[Svartalf]

Has been known for some time, but now there is a wave of reports based on internal documents having leaked.

My question is: Where is the statements by public atheist activists to distance themselves from the Chinese activities?

Indeed. Moderate atheist have been conspicuous in their silence on this matter. While some high-profile moderate atheists have denied a connection between their point of view and Chinese extreme atheism, it is nonetheless undeniable that Chinese extremists are acting in the name of the very same atheism as the so-called moderates.

The funny side of the matter is that, while the party is officially in an extreme atheist stance, China, after the matter of the cultural revolution and the trouble that followed mao's death and the trial of the gang of four, has become increasingly tolerant of the return of traditional Chinese culture customs and habits, many of which are intimately tied to the peculiar mix of religions that was practiced there in Imperial times (Taoism, Confucianism, Mahayana Buddhism, and I may be missing a few)...

[Svartalf]

The Chinese actions against their ethnic minority have nothing to do with atheism, and everything to do with a nasty combination of authoritarian rule and Han Chinese racism.

Technically, it may not, but they still are quashing the minorities' traditional religions like Stalin quashed neo bourgeois attiude among high ranking officers in the party, the army, and any group that might become a power block not aligned with him... be it Tibetan Buddhism , Uyghur islam, or other tribal religions and customs...