Pompeo Criticizes Khamenei for 'Complete Silence' on Issues of Muslims in China

On Friday, September 23, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized Ayatollah Khamenei for his 'complete silence' regarding the issues faced by the Uyghur Muslim minority in China, calling the Islamic Republic 'hypocritical' in a tweet. In this tweet, which included the hashtag 'hypocritical regime,' Pompeo accused the Supreme Leader of not responding to the detention and imprisonment of thousands of Uyghur Muslims in China. He also noted that China is one of Iran's largest oil customers. The tweet stated: 'Khamenei sees himself as the leader of the Islamic world, but while China, one of Iran's major oil buyers, has detained and imprisoned hundreds of thousands of its Muslim citizens, his regime has maintained complete silence.' The UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination had estimated earlier in September that 'between tens of thousands to one million Uyghur Muslims' are likely detained in Xinjiang province, located in the far west of China. In this context, a report was published last Wednesday indicating that the Trump administration is considering sanctions against some senior Chinese officials and several Chinese companies due to human rights violations and the 'increasing repression' of the Uyghur Muslim minority. The U.S. State Department also expressed 'deep concern' about the situation of these Muslims, according to a Reuters report. The news of potential sanctions came just two weeks after UN experts called for the closure of 're-education camps' for Uyghur Muslims in China. Human rights experts from the organization also demanded the immediate release of those Muslims detained 'under the pretext of combating terrorism.' The Chinese Foreign Ministry rejected these accusations, labeling the criticism of Xinjiang as the work of 'anti-China forces.' However, official Iranian authorities have yet to respond to these reports regarding the situation of the Uyghur Muslim minority. Iranian officials have previously been accused of silence regarding news related to China's treatment of its Muslim citizens. For instance, in July 2009, unrest and protests in Xinjiang over the deaths of nearly 200 Muslims led to then-Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki only contacting the Chinese Foreign Ministry after being criticized by two religious authorities. The Associated Press previously reported that former detainees from re-education camps claimed that in these closed facilities, which are under constant police supervision, Muslims are asked to abandon their religious beliefs, criticize themselves and their families, and officially thank the Communist Party of China. The Xinjiang region in northwest China, previously known as East Turkestan, has an area larger than that of Iran. Xinjiang borders the Muslim-majority republics of Central Asia, and the movement of Muslims across the borders has deeply concerned the Chinese government about the deepening influence of extremist Islamic thoughts in Xinjiang. About half of Xinjiang's 22 million population speaks Uyghur Turkish, and Arabic is also their religious language.