China’s new ethnic minority law seeks to legitimize repression
The proposed law would codify several regressive social policies, including restrictions on ethnic marriage, education, and expression rights
MNTV NEWS DESK — Beijing is increasing its efforts to reshape the very face of Chinese society as the National People’s Congress (NPC) is slated to consider a new law intended to promote “ethnic unity and progress” — a euphemism for tightening repression of the country’s 56 officially recognized ethnic minorities by attempting to eliminate their educational and language rights, says a policy brief by Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).
Along with impacting embattled ethnic minority communities across China, the law will likely further erode educational and religious freedoms within Tibet and the northwestern province of East Turkestan (Xinjiang) while providing a veneer of legality to Beijing’s ongoing human rights abuses.
The proposed law would codify several regressive social policies, including restrictions on ethnic marriage, education, and expression rights.
Along with emphasizing Mandarin, rather than regional dialects, in educational settings and official communications, the law would force minorities to live in “mixed communities” with a substantial Han population, as well as prosecuting parents for “imparting detrimental views” to their children regarding Beijing’s current policy of “ethnic harmony.”
The law also promotes the development of “new social customs,” including intermarriage. To that end, it bans minority families from preventing marriages based on identity grounds — a tactic intended to dissolve ethnic communities into the Han majority.
The proposed legislation follows earlier provincial-level efforts to restrict the rights of ethnic minorities, which comprise roughly 8% of the population. Protests erupted across Inner Mongolia in 2020 after authorities banned the use of Mongolian in certain primary and middle curriculums.
Several provinces have reduced or eliminated programs to promote minority representation in higher education by reforming the scoring process for the gaokao, the national university entrance exam.
The law will likely accelerate Beijing’s growing effort to repress the country’s ethnic minorities, particularly within Tibet and Xinjiang.
During his most recent visits to Tibet, Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping praised local authorities’ efforts to curb “separatism” and held a ceremony at a local boarding school to celebrate Beijing’s efforts to promote Mandarin language education.
The law will also likely underpin Beijing’s ongoing genocide within Xinjiang by offering a de facto legal justification for its forced relocation efforts. Chinese authorities have forcibly moved thousands of people, mostly Muslim Uyghurs, the region’s predominant ethnic group, deeper into the interior as both a source of forced labor and a method to dilute their political influence.
This effort builds on previous repression in Xinjiang, including mass imprisonment, forced sterilization, and “reeducation efforts” aimed at destroying longstanding cultural and religious practices. Specific measures taken by the Chinese state include preventing Uyghurs from attending prayers, and destroying historic mosques.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
