Muslims’ situation in US shows country’s hypocrisy: FM

Photo: Zhao Lijian/GT

What the Muslims in the US have been experiencing, including discrimination and inequality, is like the monster-revealing mirror to show hypocrisy in the US on human rights and universal values, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian told a press conference on Friday.

Recently, some media reported that Muslims living in the US have suffered from discrimination and inequality and the US also started wars in many countries including Iraq and Syria, causing casualties to millions of Muslim civilians. The US’ treatment toward Muslims has made it the opposite of the “universal values” it has boasted of.

How the US has treated domestic and overseas Muslims has been seen clearly by the international community. The discrimination and inequality toward Muslims in the US is a long-standing problem, Zhao told the press conference on Friday.

He said that after 9/11, Muslims in the US have suffered from unprecedented shock with discrimination in employment and faced various hate crimes and mistreatment. In January 2017, the US government put forward the Muslims ban, which made the situation worse.

Some media said that like Catholics living 150 years ago, Muslims in the US have been suffering from political discrimination and isolation for their religious belief. Although the US government cancelled the Muslim ban, the statement made by the US president in April on Ramadan still showed that Muslims in the US are still the target of bullying, discrimination and hate crimes.

Zhao said that according to a poll, 75 percent of adult Muslims in the US expressed concerns over the discrimination, and 69 percent of other Americans held similar views. Half of Muslims in the US thought it became more difficult to be a Muslim in the US.

“What Muslims have experienced in the US is like a monster-revealing mirror and shows US hypocrisy on human rights and so-called universal values,” said Zhao.

Zhao noted that the US also started wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria under the banner of counter-terrorism, which have caused countless casualties of Muslim civilians. The US has turned a blind eye to its own crimes and notorious record against Muslims, but still attacked China’s Xinjiang, which is hypocritical and a double standard.

“Some people in the US like to say how much they care about Muslims in China’s Xinjiang. Even with the sun rises from the West, we Chinese would not buy their nonsense,” Zhao said, noting that what the US should do is to reflect on its own mistakes, take measures to protect the rights of Muslims and stop smearing other countries under the banner of caring for Muslims.