A number of protests were held. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan made a harsh statement accusing the Chinese administration “of something tantamount to genocide,” a possible first from such a high-ranking official.However, even before we could understand why and how the incidents broke out, they were dropped from the agenda. Actually, the world had kept its silence while the incidents were happening. The United Nations, Muslim countries, Western countries and international human rights organizations were all silent. Even some reputable Western TV channels and newspapers, instead of investigating the incidents in depth and helping some truths to be revealed, opted for discussing why the Turkish prime minister had such a severe reaction.
The only international organization which has closely monitored the developments since the beginning and continues to show active interest in the incidents even after they were completely settled was the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Its secretary-general, Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, never allowed this matter to be dropped from the agenda. From time to time, he issued statements and put the issue on the agenda of international meetings. During his talks in the East or in the West, he discussed the issue with his counterparts. If not for his efforts, we would think that the incidents that claimed the lives of hundreds of people had never happened and the people who are our kin are leading perfectly happy lives in China.
One of the most concrete steps taken by the OIC, which represents 57 Muslim countries, was to send a high-level delegation to China to investigate the incidents. Indeed, when the incidents were still hot on Turkey's agenda, Zafer Üskül, the chairman of the parliamentary Commission on Human Rights, declared that they would go to the region. While no move was made on the Turkish side, the OIC's delegation went to China and completed its investigation.
The delegation, headed by Ambassador Seyit Kasım El Masri, who acts as the counselor to Professor İhsanoğlu regarding Muslim minorities, conducted important talks with respect to the violent incidents in Urumchi. The delegation conducted examinations both in the Uighur region and in other places where Muslims live, and conveyed their observations to the Chinese authorities.
The observations made after the visit are very important. China, it seems, attaches particular importance to its relations with the Muslim world with a population of 1.5 billion, which is in a critical position with respect to the energy that China desperately needs. Beijing sees the OIC as the highest international organization that represents the Muslim world and, therefore, places great importance on its relationship with this organization.
During the talks the OIC's delegation conducted, the Chinese authorities argued that the incidents had erupted due to the inequality that rapid economic development has created and that the issue is not confined to that region. On the other hand, the OIC delegation conveyed to the Chinese authorities that it was wrong to treat the issue only with an emphasis on security and brought to the agenda the problems in the region. Within this framework, the OIC delegation demanded information from the Chinese authorities on education policies, rights to use natural resources, the arrangements concerning marriage and the continuation of the race, the rate of representation of Muslim Uighurs in higher administrative positions, their shares in the national distribution of income, the claims that they are forced to leave their homes and many other sensitive issues.
Moreover, the delegation raised the issue of economic troubles, age and gender restrictions in attending mosques and limitations concerning attendance of special religious ceremonies. The delegation found that these restrictions are in place only in the Xinjiang region while they are not implemented in other regions and conveyed this observation to the Chinese authorities.
The OIC delegation also stressed the existence of restrictions on traveling abroad and the claims that the demographic composition of the Xinjiang region is being manipulated and that Islamic culture and historic buildings in the Kashgar region are being destroyed.
How the delegation's talks will affect the daily lives of the Uighurs remains to be seen. However, during the meetings, the delegation and the Chinese authorities agreed to organize a symposium titled "The Islamic Civilization and China," which is an important gain. Moreover, the OIC will not stop there. After Ramadan, İhsanoğlu will pay a visit to Beijing. The results of the talks will be monitored, and a report will be submitted to the ministerial meeting of the OIC.
This shows us the importance of institutionalization in this age. Memories and influences of institutions go beyond those of individuals and states. Moreover, an institution with a well-defined domain is capable of holding the behemoth of China accountable for the things it did while individual countries refrained from saying a word. Isn't it important that Muslim minorities in the East or West know that there is an institution that will tend to their problems?
