Arsenal have made a statement distancing themselves from midfielder Mesut Ozil's social media post regarding China’s persecution of the Uighur population.
The midfielder posted a strong message on the issue to his personal Instagram account on Friday.
“East Turkistan, the bleeding wound of the Ummah, resisting against the persecutors trying to separate them from their religion," the message read.
"They burn their Qurans. They shut down their mosques. They ban their schools. They kill their holy men. The men are forced into camps and their families are forced to live with Chinese men. The women are forced to marry Chinese men.
“But Muslims are silent. They won’t make a noise. They have abandoned them. Don’t they know that giving consent for persecution is persecution itself?”
Uighurs are a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority in China, and there is claims that they have been subjected to persecution by the Chinese authorities.
However, Arsenal have moved quickly to distance themselves from Ozil's personal view, insisting that they will not get involved in any politics. The club posted a statement on Chinese social media site Weibo (via the Guardian).
“Regarding the comments made by Mesut Özil on social media, Arsenal must make a clear statement,” it read. “The content published is Özil’s personal opinion. As a football club, Arsenal has always adhered to the principle of not involving itself in politics.”
