China’s Foreign Ministry has claimed Mesut Ozil has been “completely deceived by fake news and false statements” after the Arsenal star came out in support of Uighur Muslims.
Ozil condemned the alleged religious and ethnic persecution of minority groups. While China has consistently denied all accusations of mistreatment of Uighurs.
Rights groups have claimed that around a million people have been detained without trial in high-security prison camps, leading to Ozil’s comments last week: “East Turkistan, the bleeding wound of the Ummah, resisting against the persecutors trying to separate them from their religion.
“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?”
Arsenal distanced themselves from Ozil’s comments last week, claiming they ”always adhered to the principle of not involving itself in politics”.
But Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang has now spoken out against Ozil and his beliefs.
“I don’t know if Mr. Ozil has ever been to Xinjiang personally but he’s been completely deceived by fake news and false statements have influenced his judgement,” Shuang said.
“We also welcome Mr. Ozil to come to Xinjiang if he has the chance, to take a walk and look around, as long as he has a conscience, is able to distinguish right from wrong and uphold the principles of objectivity and fairness, he will see a different Xinjiang.”
