Uighur persecution: Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis flays China

The leader of Britain's Orthodox Jews said he was compelled to comment on the issue.

"The weight of evidence of this persecution of the Uighur Muslim minority in China is overwhelming," he was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

"Satellite images, leaked documents and survivor testimonies all paint a devastating picture affecting well over one million people." he said.

"Can it be true that, in our modern, sophisticated world, men and women are still beaten if they refuse to renounce their faith?" the religious leader said.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis said in an article in The Guardian newspaper: 'Reflecting upon the deep pain of Jewish persecution throughout the ages, I feel compelled to speak out.'

Rabbi even called for an independent investigation into the matter.

Who are Uighur Muslims?

Uighur (also spelt Uyghur) Muslims are a Turkic minority ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. It is now widely publicized that their human rights are crushed by China and they were sent to "re-education camps" by the communist regime in Beijing.

The Uighurs are recognized as native to the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China.

An American representative at the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said in 2018 that the committee had received many credible reports that 1 million ethnic Uyghurs in China have been held in "re-education camps" by the Chinese authorities.