Podcast Summary: New Books Network – "Radio Reorient 13.4: Zumretay Arkin on the Uyghur Genocide, Colonialism, and Muslim Solidarity"

Date: November 7, 2025
Host(s): Chella Ward, Claudia Radovan, Saeed Khan, Amina Isad Das
Guest: Zumratay Arkin, Director of Global Advocacy, World Uyghur Congress

Overview of Episode Theme

This episode of "Radio Reorient," hosted on the New Books Network, centers on the ongoing genocide of Uyghurs in East Turkestan (Xinjiang), examining the historical context, mechanisms of repression, global Islamophobia, comparative colonial projects, and the forms of resistance—particularly the role of transnational Muslim solidarity. Zumratay Arkin, a leading advocate with the World Uyghur Congress, provides firsthand insights, analysis, and practical guidance for solidarity.

Major Discussion Topics & Key Insights

1. Historical Development of the Uyghur Crisis

[04:40 – 14:38]

• Colonial Origins: The region, historically known as East Turkestan, was colonized by China in October 1949, and renamed Xinjiang (literally "new frontier")—a name that in itself signals the colonial project.
  • Quote (Zumratay Arkin, 04:40):
    “The situation right now, I think we can just call it as it is—a genocide.”
• Waves of State Repression:
  • Forced Han migration altered demographics significantly.
  • Key escalations:
    • 1993: Ban on traditional Uyghur gatherings (Meshreb) sparked mass protests and violent crackdowns.
    • 2009: The Urumqi massacre—a large-scale protest for Uyghur rights ended with severe repression.
    • Post-2017: Mass arbitrary detentions (over 3 million Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims), forced sterilizations, and separation of children into state institutions.
• Intensification Post-9/11:
  • Before 9/11, Uyghurs were framed as ‘separatists’; after, they were recast as ‘terrorists’ with state security measures justified under global counterterrorism rhetoric.

Notable Moment

• Quote (Zumratay Arkin, 10:45):
  “Praying five times a day, owning a Quran, teaching Islam, even naming your child with Islamic names—that was all forbidden... Women detained for having too many children or wearing a hijab.”

2. Mechanisms of Oppression

[10:30 – 14:38]

• Systemic Islamophobia:
  • State laws and policies directly target Islamic practice (e.g., Quran burning by authorities, bans on religious dress and activities).
• Cultural Erasure & Forced Assimilation:
  • Approximately a million children separated from families, placed in state-run boarding schools; destruction of over 16,000 mosques and religious sites.
• Surveillance and Social Control:
  • High-tech surveillance infrastructure, enforced by officials such as Chen Quanguo, limits freedom in public and private.
  • Forced labor schemes disperse Uyghurs, further weakening social ties.

3. Global Islamophobia and Comparative Colonialism

[16:04 – 19:52]

• China’s State-Imposed Islamophobia vs. the West:
  • In China, Islamophobia is embedded in state institutions and law; in Western contexts, hostility may be more social or enforced by non-state actors, with at least formal legal protections.
    • Quote (Zumratay Arkin, 16:39):
      “In China, the laws... are Islamophobic. They lay the ground for the state to infringe on people's rights, allow acts like burning of Qurans by local authorities.”
• Rhetoric of ‘Counter-Terrorism’:
  • 9/11 serves as an ideological pivot globally, justifying escalated state violence against Muslims.
• Comparative Perspective:
  • The repression in East Turkestan is analogized to colonial and Islamophobic assaults in Palestine, Kashmir, and Myanmar.

4. Resistance and the Work of the World Uyghur Congress

[21:10 – 29:56]

• Role and Strategy:
  • The World Uyghur Congress serves as an international umbrella, advocating for Uyghur human rights, political self-determination, and raising the issue at the UN, the EU, national parliaments, and civil society platforms.
  • Supports youth leadership, refugee assistance, and legislative advocacy (e.g., lobbying for import bans on forced labor products).
  • Quote (Zumratay Arkin, 23:51):
    “Investing in the movement goes through investing to the youth.”
• Nonviolent Resistance:
  • The organization adheres to principles of nonviolent advocacy, distinguishing itself from others who may advocate for armed resistance.
  • Quote (Zumratay Arkin, 35:42):
    “...as a representative body, we see nonviolence as a necessary step to get where we want to be.”

5. Muslim Solidarity & Challenges

[25:27 – 29:56]

• Solidarity from the Ummah:
  • While the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has largely failed in representing Uyghur interests, civil society solidarity—especially among ordinary Muslims and diaspora groups—has proven crucial.
  • Many Muslims remain unaware that Uyghurs are a Turkic Muslim community due to geographic misconceptions.
  • Collaboration with Kashmiri and Rohingya activists is ongoing.
  • Quote (Zumratay Arkin, 25:27):
    “Being Muslim is one of the core parts of our identity ... our faith ... has helped us ... resist oppression.”

6. Colonial Occupation and Comparisons to Other Struggles

[29:15 – 35:42]

• Demographic Engineering & Resource Exploitation:

  • Forced Han migration and sterilization policies actively reduce Uyghur presence.
  • The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) roots China's economic expansion in occupied Uyghur and Tibetan lands.
  • Quote (Zumratay Arkin, 29:56):
    “It is colonial occupation and the genocide is a result of that as well.”

• Comparative Frameworks:

  • Parallels are drawn to Palestine and Kashmir, not only in land dispossession and economic exploitation but in regime narratives that cast Muslims as latecomers, thus illegitimate inhabitants.

7. The “Terrorist” Label and Transnational Repression

[39:05 – 43:53]

• China designates the World Uyghur Congress as a terrorist organization to delegitimize advocacy and make international cooperation challenging, especially post-9/11.
• Tactics include misuse of Interpol (red notices), intimidation, harassment, and disinformation aimed at diaspora activists.
  • Quote (Zumratay Arkin, 39:45):
    “It has impacted a lot, in the beginning, by blocking roads and making sure that we were [not seen as] a reliable entity ... but over the years through our work, we've been recognized as a nonviolent ... democratic body advocating for Uyghur rights.”

8. Practical Steps for International Solidarity

[44:55 – 48:52]

• Personal Actions:
  • Listen to survivors and educate oneself from reliable, verifiable sources (such as satellite evidence, survivor testimony, and leaked Chinese documents).
  • Avoid complicity in forced labor by scrutinizing supply chains (especially in cotton/textiles).
  • Consumer boycott: Brands like Nike, Adidas, Hugo Boss, and others have been linked to forced Uyghur labor.
  • Political advocacy: Petition legislators, organize events, support Uyghur businesses and campaigns.
  • Quote (Zumratay Arkin, 44:55):
    “It can be as simple as just listening to a person share their experiences ... By not being complicit ... you can choose not to support a company that is exploiting Uyghurs ... At the end of the day, just remembering Uyghurs are also humans and they also deserve to be protected.”

Roundtable Reflections and Analytical Synthesis

Global Patterns: Islamophobia, Colonialism, Historiography

[49:57 – 59:56]

• Thematic Connections:
  • The Uyghur genocide is framed within a broader pattern of Islamophobic colonial projects—Palestine, India (Hindutva), Myanmar, etc.—where Muslims are narrated as 'latecomers' to history, thus rationalizing displacement and violence.
    • Quote (Chella Ward, 51:39):
      “What links those genocides is the way that they’re premised on a particular way of telling the story of history ... Muslims are set up as those who come late ... and that is what we see in these projects of Islamophobic genocide.”
• Political hypocrisy and deflection:
  • Western states often invoke atrocities like Xinjiang selectively, using them to score geopolitical points against rivals rather than out of genuine humanitarian concern.
  • “Genocide Olympics”: Warning against pitting atrocities against each other or minimizing one for another; the importance of recognizing interconnectedness and shared underlying structures.

Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Zumratay Arkin [04:40]:
  “We can just call it as it is—a genocide. And the way it started, of course, goes back to colonialism.”
• Zumratay Arkin [10:45]:
  “Praying five times a day, owning a Quran ... That was all forbidden ... those were some reasons why people were detained.”
• Zumratay Arkin [16:39]:
  “In China, the laws themselves that are introduced are Islamophobic.”
• Zumratay Arkin [23:51]:
  “Investing in the movement goes through investing to the youth.”
• Zumratay Arkin [25:27]:
  “Being Muslim is one of the core parts of our identity ... our faith ... has helped us ... resist oppression.”
• Zumratay Arkin [39:45]:
  “...over the years through our work, we've been recognized as a nonviolent and legitimate democratic body.”
• Zumratay Arkin [44:55]:
  “It can be as simple as just listening to a person share their experiences ... At the end of the day, just remembering that Uyghurs are also humans ... and so you can lend a voice to them because they currently are silenced.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Introduction & Framing: [02:40 – 03:59]
• Historical Context & Present-Day Repression: [04:40 – 14:38]
• Islamophobia, State Policy, & Global Parallels: [16:04 – 19:52]
• World Uyghur Congress: Mission & Strategy: [21:10 – 24:41]
• Muslim Solidarity & Community Resistance: [25:27 – 29:56]
• Colonial Comparison & Demographic Engineering: [29:56 – 35:42]
• Nonviolent Resistance & “Terrorism” Label: [35:42 – 43:53]
• Solidarity: What Listeners Can Do: [44:55 – 48:52]
• Hosts’ Final Reflections: [49:57 – 59:56]

Episode Tone

The conversation is serious, urgent, and deeply empathetic, with both the hosts and guest maintaining an academic yet accessible tone. The first-person experiences, coupled with a focus on collective action and solidarity, make the discussion both informative and motivational.

Conclusion

This episode provides a comprehensive, multidimensional understanding of the Uyghur crisis—not only as a human rights atrocity but as part of a larger matrix of global Islamophobia and colonial modernity. Zumratay Arkin’s testimony and analysis demystify persistent state narratives, inviting listeners to educate themselves, reflect on transnational solidarities, and, crucially, take practical action.