China’s Modern Dystopia
Last Monday, February 6, Polytechnic hosted the most impactful GIP events I have attended thus far, titled, The Uyghurs in China. This event was the culmination of months of efforts from Mr. Caragher, Global Scholars, and of course three keynote speakers, Dr. Bill Clark (Poly Class of 1975), Dr. Nurnisa Kurban, and Dr. Miran Mavlan. Each of these speakers gave their audience an unforgettable retelling of the Uyghur’s history in China thus far by sharing their unique and personal perspectives.
Last Monday, February 6, Polytechnic hosted the most impactful GIP events I have attended thus far, titled, The Uyghurs in China. This event was the culmination of months of efforts from Mr. Caragher, Global Scholars, and of course three keynote speakers, Dr. Bill Clark (Poly Class of 1975), Dr. Nurnisa Kurban, and Dr. Miran Mavlan. Each of these speakers gave their audience an unforgettable retelling of the Uyghur’s history in China by sharing their unique and personal perspectives.
Dr. Clark began the night with a background that set the foundation for the other speakers. He began by saying, “Islam is a criminalized religion.” He described some of the horrific atrocities the Chinese government has committed against Uyghur Muslims through a bevy of facts and numbers. What captured my attention the most was his declaring this genocide as a “modern dystopia.” At Poly, I am currently taking AP English Literature, Fantasy, Fiction, Film, which is an English class devoted to studying fictional realities in literature and films. For the better part of this class, we have studied the dystopian realities of worlds like George Orwell’s 1984, Octavia Butler’s “Bloodchild” and “The Book of Martha,” Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, and many Black Mirror episodes. Throughout these texts and episodes, I have been comforted in knowing they usually just serve as cautionary tales or reminders of what not to do. But after hearing the words of Dr. Clark, I have realized that Uyghur Muslims today are living in this exact dystopian reality, and we cannot ignore it.
Dr. Clark’s classification of the genocide as a “modern dystopia” stems from the large dependency on technology, which completely distances this genocide from any we have seen before, including during the Holocaust, in Rwanda, Bosnia, and Cambodia. He shared that the Chinese government used over 75k data analysts to demand and search through cell phones to detect “illegal activity.” They also implemented “health checks,” which were in reality a discrete way for them to collect Uyghur Muslims’ information, including DNA, blood type, fingerprints, and more.
Dr. Nurnisa Kurban began her portion of the event by reminding us that it has been over 6 years since the first news of stories from victims of this genocide, and yet there has still been minor efforts to end their suffering. She shared her personal connections with her entire family being victims. Dr. Kurban’s speech left a deep impact on me as it revealed a side of the Uyghur genocide that I had never witnessed before: the human side. It’s easy to get lost behind daunting numbers and towering graphs, and only through first-person accounts can you truly get connected to the people. Her intense emotions and frustration stirred up my passion for this issue, which was evidently shared by Dr. Kurban.
Dr. Miran Mavlan concluded the event by continuing the theme of personal involvement. He spoke from the heart in a way that very few people can. He captured the entire auditorium’s attention with each sentence, and it was truly inspiring to watch. He shared his difficulties with even describing what the word “genocide” means, how difficult of a concept it is to comprehend. This gave perspective of how inane this entire circumstance has become. He then brought up the “The Starfish Story,” also known as “The Parable of the Starfish.” It is a story that illustrates the idea that one person can make a difference in the world, even if the impact seems small or insignificant. The metaphor comes from the story of a person throwing starfish back into the ocean one at a time, and when someone questions the point of such a futile act, the person throwing the starfish responds by saying that it made a difference to each individual starfish. The act of throwing each starfish back into the ocean may not save all of them, but it makes a difference to the ones that are saved. The metaphor highlights the importance of taking action, no matter how small it may seem, as it can have a significant impact on those directly affected by it. This was an excellent addition to his speech and brought more attention to why he was standing there before us that night.
This night was definitively a night to remember, and I hope everyone reading this can take a moment of your time to visit some of the websites listed below to learn more.
https://uhrp.org/
https://www.uyghuraa.org/
https://www.uyghurcongress.org/en/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-10/uyghur-culture-under-threat-in-china-thrives-in-australia/11673636
