Uniting the Ummah: Strategies to Foster Solidarity with Uyghur Muslims
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
Introduction
Connection to the community is a vital component of thriving religiosity for Muslims
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and provides a sense of belonging that is commonly used in the field of psychology to refer to the human need for acceptance, understanding, and to be part of a greater whole.
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Correlating with the Islamic concept of brotherhood and sisterhood (ukhuwwa) in the ummah, our beloved Messenger ﷺ told us, “The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.”
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In this paper, we draw upon the prophetic biography (sīra) and how the Prophet ﷺ actualized the concept of brother/sisterhood by establishing a sense of belonging and community integration amongst the Medinan Helpers (anṣār) and the Meccan Emigrants (muhājirūn) during the migration. This paper will take the case study of Uyghur Muslims in the global diaspora, fleeing genocide in China, as a modern-day example of the muhājirūn who critically need integration into the greater Muslim ummah. This qualitative study draws upon interviews to outline the mental health challenges, loss of sense of belonging, disenfranchisement from the ummah, and loss of institutional and community connection experienced by Uyghur immigrants and refugees.
As will come to light from the Uyghur interviews detailed later on within this paper, voluntary charity (ṣadaqa) and sympathy are felt to fall short of what is expected from the ummah. Muslim countries’ continued alliance with and economic reliance on China, the Western Muslim community’s lack of knowledge regarding the Uyghur genocide, the lack of public outcry from the ummah, and an absence of concrete political action and advocacy are the major stumbling blocks that have appeared to have frayed the Uyghur community’s sense of belonging to the greater Muslim community. Within this paper, power structures in some Muslim communities and mosques seem to privilege certain races over others, specifically where those who don’t fit neatly into the dominant groups (i.e., Arab, South Asian) are relegated to the margins (e.g., Black, revert, Malaysian, Bosnian, Afghani, Rohingya, Uyghur, and many others). The prophetic model of the mosque will be explored, presenting it as not only a place of worship but as a space for community integration, a shelter for the unhoused, a hospital, and a place of education, among other roles. From this, a parallel will be drawn highlighting the central role of the mosque today in the community integration of Uyghur immigrants and refugees. Finally, recommendations will be presented for how this prophetic model of community empathy and solidarity and the holistic role of the mosque can be revived in our ummah today, allowing the Muslim community to serve as the scaffolding upon which Uyghurs are able to restore their sense of belonging.
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