“Pair up and Become Family”: China forces Uyghur Muslim women to sleep with govt officials to ‘promote ethnic unity’

Han Males are sleeping on the same bed as Uyghur Muslim women in China whose male family members, often husbands, are locked up in ‘reeducation camps’ in conformity with a diktat by the Chinese regime, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reported last week. The information comes from government officials who spoke to them on the condition of anonymity.

The conduct appears to be part of the “Pair Up and Become Family” policy that specifically targets the Uyghurs in China. The policy has been in place since 2017 and requires families in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) to invite Chinese officials into their homes and provide them with information regarding their lives and political views, while they are also subjected to political indoctrination.

“The ‘relatives’ come to visit us here every two months … they stay with their paired relatives day and night,” said a communist cadre who is given the responsibility to oversee such affairs. “They help [the families] with their ideology, bringing new ideas. They talk to them about life, during which time they develop feelings for one another.” “Normally one or two people sleep in one bed, and if the weather is cold, three people sleep together,” he added.

The cadre emphasized that “they are very keen, and offer them whatever they have.” He also admitted that Chinese officials make efforts to provide them with proper sleeping arrangements. The cadre also said that he had “never heard” of any situations in which male officials had attempted to take advantage of Uyghur women, and suggested “it is now considered normal for females to sleep on the same platform with their paired male ‘relatives.’”

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The head of a local neighbourhood committee in Yengisar county also confirmed the cadre’s version of events. “Yes, they all sleep on the same platform,” he said, adding that it is considered acceptable for “relatives” and hosts to keep a distance of one meter (three feet) between them at night. It is important to mention here that the Han males who are assigned are not really the relatives of the Uyghur women they sleep with. According to the committee chief, the Han men were sleeping with them to “promote ethnic unity”.

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Chinese oppression of Uyghur Muslims has been known for a long time. Earlier the Chinese police had imposed a dress code for Uyghur women, under which the Muslim women are not allowed to wear long dresses. Last year photos had appeared on social media showing police cutting dresses of Uyghur women for being “too long”.

Despite such atrocities, China has not faced any repercussions for its ongoing totalitarian policies which are most heinously affecting the Uyghurs. They have been abandoned by the Muslim world as well. Imran Khan, who cannot stop engaging in delirious rhetoric against India regarding Kashmir, has refused to condemn China’s actions against Uyghurs. He continues to call China the best friend of Pakistan and has maintained a carefully crafted mask of ignorance over the entire issue.

Meanwhile, the corporate world, which advertises their self-proclaimed moral superiority over the ordinary citizens of their country, has maintained silence over the issue as it could hurt their business interests. The NBA, for instance, prostrated profusely before the Chinese regime after Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey voiced support for the ongoing Hong Kong protests.

OpIndia Staff: Staff reporter at OpIndia