U.S. Muslims are fasting Chinese goods

Several Muslim organizations and human rights groups have requested American Muslims not to buy China-manufactured goods. Hena Zuberi, the director of Justice for All, a nonprofit that assisted to kickstart the Fast From China campaign, said that contrary to popular perception, it is possible to boycott Chinese made goods and compared the stop buying campaign to abstinence from food during the Ramadan period. Devout Muslims do not touch food and drink the whole day for about a month. She equated the boycott of Chinese goods with fasting and described the time where Muslims should control themselves. China has banned its Muslim citizens from fasting.

For the last three years, Beijing has compelled Uighur Muslim minority members living in Xinjiang province to not do any fast along with other religious rituals marking one of the holiest months in Islam. As per reports from Xinjiang province, authorities have forbidden restaurants from shutting shop in May and has banned workers, women, and students from fasting and praying. Government officials frequently invite people to ply them with drinks and food. The people not attending the event are seen as suspicious ones, and their movements tracked. As per Zuberi, Xinjiang Muslims think Muslims in other parts of the world has forgotten them.

The “Fast From China” initiative was launched on April 19 by Sound Vision Foundation. It is a part of the organization’s Save Uighur project. The initiative wants to Muslims to reconsider their daily purchasing decisions. It wants to substitute products having the “Made in China” label with products manufactured in other countries. According to Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, it is vital for Americans to understand that although the open market benefits them, some products do not corroborate to the opening of the mind towards human rights and freedom of religion. The process of law is also hampered. He went on to claim that Ramadan is a time when individuals enjoy a higher consciousness level and connect to the Almighty. Being hungry, he pointed out, reminds the keeper of the fast to link with humanity.

When will world stand up to China’s self-proclaimed repression of the ordinary expression of faith? Any person of any faith that does not speak against China’s repression is disgracing themself. https://t.co/p7iPqcO4rt — Hady Amr (@HadyAmr) May 2, 2019

China you are a disgusting country #fastfromchina — Bek Lover (@UnitedAlbanians) May 5, 2019

Al-Furqaan Foundation, a non-profit with its headquarters in Chicago, and one of the biggest publishers in the Western world when it came to the Quran, made a public announcement to stop using any Chinese company to print its products.

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