Through Manga, Japanese Comic Artists Highlight The Plight Of Uyghurs In China

Manga about the suffering of Uighur women (Twitter @@ swim_shu)

JAKARTA - A mangaka or comic artist from Japan, Tomomi Shimizu, made a comic that tells the story of the suffering of the Uighur Muslim ethnicity in China. The manga entitled 'What Has Happened to Me' has even been translated into 10 languages, including Mandarin, Uyghur, and English.

His work went viral on the social media scene and was read more than 330 thousand times online. Shimizu said the persecution of the Uighurs was the hottest issue in Western countries because it exposed the cruelty of the Chinese government.

This four-panel comic is taken from a real experience, a woman named Mihrigul Tursun. An ethnic Uighur woman who now lives in the United States (US) after escaping from Chinese rule.

In the comics, Mihrigul Tursun was detained by Chinese authorities even though he had not committed a crime. She was separated from her triplets who were 45 days old. Mihrigul Tursun was often beaten with electric batons.

Mihrigul Tursun was paroled only to find out that one of his triplets had died in government custody. Later, he was imprisoned again, in a room so crowded that the prisoner had to take turns lying down.

After experiencing his third detention, Tursun asked him why he had to face so many hardships. One official said: "It's because you are Uighur".

Shimizu posted "What Has Happened to Me" on her Twitter account on August 31st. Immediately, messages started flowing “like a waterfall,” and were retweeted 8,000 times within hours.

"The Uighur problem is well known among people who are involved in politics. But not many people in the general know about it. The information gap is very surprising," said Shimizu, quoted by Reuters, Monday, December 30, 2019.

マ ン ガ 「私 の 身 に 起 き た こ と」 ～ と あ る ウ イ グ ル 人 女性 の 証言 ～ 1/5 # ウ イ グ ル # 新疆 ウ イ グ ル 自治区 # 東 ト ル キ ～ 1/5 # ウ イ グ ル # 新疆 ウ イ グ ル 自治区 # 東 ト ル キ

- 清水 と も み (@swim_shu) August 31, 2019

"I decided to use manga because I believe manga has the power to convey things to people in a way that is easy to understand," added the 50-year-old woman.

Violence against Uighurs in China

The United Nations (UN) and human rights groups estimate that between 1 million and 2 million people, most of them ethnic Muslim Uighurs, have been detained in dire conditions in the Xinjiang region in northwest China. This is recognized by China as part of the anti-terrorism campaign. China says Xinjiang faces threats from militants and extremist groups.

ワ シ ン ト ン ポ ス ト 様 か ら 連絡 が あ り, ワ シ ン ト ン ポ ス ト 日 曜 版 に も, こ の よ う に 掲 載 さ れ た よ う で す. き れ い な レ イ ア ウ ト で, と て も 嬉 し い. マ ン ガ も 読 み や す い で す よ ね. 英語 圏 に 拡 が っ て い ま す. あ り が と う ご ざ い ま す !! #Uighur #Uyghur #Uyghurs #FreeUyghur # ウ イ グ ル # 東 ト ル キ ス タ ン pic.twitter.com/DsE7650EP5

- 清水 と も み (@swim_shu) December 17, 2019

However, China rejects the allegations of mass persecution and detention. The Bamboo Curtain country government said it was only trying to end extremism and violence in Xinjiang through education and offering Uighurs better job prospects by doing training.

China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to comments that had become widespread globally regarding the Uighurs. The Chinese government accused Mihrigul Tursun of spreading false information about the torture he was experiencing in Xinjiang.