Jakarta (ANTARA) - Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah reaffirmed concerns over human rights abuses against Uighurs in China's Xinjiang while rejecting a report launched by The Wall Street Journal claiming China's government persuaded the groups to "keep silent".

"Nadhlatul Ulama is an independent socio-religious group whose views are not bound to anyone and we are not being dictated upon by others. The report launched by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) is a false accusation. We receive no funding for Uighurs (from China's government)," NU's secretary general Helmy Faishal Zaini stated here,on Tuesday.

In accordance with the group's norms and values, NU will reject any treatments violating human rights principles.

Similar to NU, Indonesia's second-largest Islamic group Muhammadiyah also denounced the WSJ's report, citing that it was groundless.



"The news article defames NU, Muhammadiyah, and MUI (Indonesian Ulema Council) as respected Islamic organizations in Indonesia. Muhammadiyah prompts The Wall Street Journal to rectify the report and apologize, otherwise the group will call for legal actions in accordance to the law," the Central Board of Muhammadiyah said in a statement. Apart from rejecting the WSJ's report, Muhammdiyah also urged China's government to demonstrate greater transparency in providing information on Uighurs to the international community. The organization also appealed to the United Nations, international community, and Indonesia's government to adopt a more proactive approach over alleged human rights violations against the Uighur community.

On Dec 11, the US-based The Wall Street Journal launched an in-depth report of "How China Persuaded One Muslim Nation to Keep Silent on Xinjiang Camps".

The news article claimed Beijing had tweaked the views of Indonesia's religious leaders over the Uighur community in Xinjiang. During a China-sponsored trip to the far western province, the authority showed classrooms where the Uighur students received training at the vocational school that was once accused as being a detention camp.

However, as quoted by the report, few Indonesian clerics doubted China's presentation on Uighur and its vocational school during the sponsored trip.

"Muhyiddin Junaidi, head of international relations for Majelis Ulama Indonesia, a powerful Indonesian clerical body, said that his February visit was tightly controlled and that Uighurs he met seemed afraid to express themselves," the WSJ reported.
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Translator: Anom P/Genta Tenri Mawangi
Editor: Suharto
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