Why are Muslim-majority countries silent for the Uighur Muslims?

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Who are the Uighurs? They are a Muslim minority who live in Xinjiang, an autonomous region of China located in the northwest. In Xinjiang, there are around 11 million Uighurs. Xinjiang has been controlled by China since it was annexed in 1949. However, many Uighurs still proudly identify their homeland by its previous name, East Turkestan. 

In 2017, the Xinjiang Government passed a law prohibiting women from wearing veils and men from growing long beards. Many mosques have been destroyed and it is estimated that over 1 million Uighurs have been imprisoned in camps since 2017, in at least 85 identified camps within Xinjiang.

In case you're unaware, China has been accused of keeping the Uighurs in concentration camps but they have only admitted to keeping them in "re-education centres" as they believe that the Uighurs hold extremist views and are a threat to security. Their reasoning comes from attacks in 2013 and 2014 which Uighur militants claim responsibility for. However, many say it is clear they are being interned, not "re-educated" as there have been multiple reports that the Communist Party of China is currently enacting a Uighur genocide. 

As reported by Foreign Policy on July 15, Uighur women are being systematically sterilised and 13 tons of hair have been found. It is suspected that the hair was forcibly removed from the imprisoned Uighurs. They are also being "abused, tortured, raped, and even killed. Survivors report being subjected to electrocution, waterboarding, repeated beatings, stress positions, and injections of unknown substances."

Therefore, it is blatantly obvious that the Uighur Muslims are experiencing unbearable pain, both physically and mentally. What I don't understand is why are Muslim-majority countries staying silent for their own people? Why don't they speak up? 

The United Kingdom, which is not even a Muslim-majority country has spoken up against the abuse to Uighurs, even with China's UK ambassador dismissing talks of concentration camps as "fake". 

In a letter sent to the United Nations in July 2019, 22 countries responded to, "disturbing reports of large-scale arbitrary detentions of Uighurs" by condemning Chinese leadership. However, four days later, 37 countries jumped to China's defence and advocated China's "remarkable achievements in the field of human rights" by protecting their country from "terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism." 

In the list of signatories, Muslim-majority countries such as Eygpt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to name a few, have signed. Not only have they not spoken up against this mass torture but they are fully in support of China as the signatures show. This is due to being allies with China. For example, China is providing billions in loans and investment to Pakistan so it would be foolish for Pakistan to publicly shame them. China provides billions in foreign aid to countries all across the globe so this would be a big enough incentive for any of these countries to turn a blind eye.

According to Business Insider, China is the 3rd most powerful country on the planet, so it is no surprise that although it is the moral thing to do, a lot of countries are staying silent with what is happening in Xinjiang. More countries signed to protect China than those who signed to protest, which says a lot.

It is an ongoing tragedy that can still be stopped. Countries around the world need to collectively open their eyes and realise that what the Uighurs are going through is inhumane and a violation of their human rights. 

“The rights of every man are diminished when the rights of one man are threatened.” ― John F. Kennedy