Since I clearly feel freedom to complain when the U.S. government does things I disagree with, I thought it might also be fair to highlight something that looks very good.
A few weeks ago, Muslim Connect consisted of a brief lament for Uyghur Muslims who are suffering massive internment at the hands of the Chinese government. Theories on why vary from the official line of containing terrorism and separatism to paving the way for a massive economic project.
Earlier this week the US House passed a bill called the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2019. It is expected to easily pass the Senate, but it’s not yet clear if President Trump will sign it into law. The bill calls for increased monitoring of Chinese treatment of Uyghurs, as well as sanctions on the Communist Party leader of Xinjiang, Chen Quanguo.
This seems wise, bold and probably costly. Like the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of a couple of weeks ago, this legislation was met with anger and caustic warnings from Chinese officials.
I don’t for a moment claim that my country’s hands are clean. Heck, my own are so dirty as to be almost un-washable. But even the guilty need to do the right thing, no? I’m happy when we take a stand against injustice on a such a gut-wrenching scale.
I tend to think grassroots is better, a million small acts having more power than a single large one. But this seems like a situation in which the legislative power of a super power might be the right tool. Coupled with our prayers, may God use this to bring about deliverance and justice for the Uyghurs.