BAMAKO/DJIBOUTI CITY: Hundreds of Muslims including students took out protest rallies in the capital cities of Mali and Djibouti on the first Friday of holy Ramadan against Pakistan for inviting ‘enemy of Islam’ Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to the recent meeting of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and called Imran Khan a “puppet”.
Members of ‘No More Slavery in Africa’ took out a protest rally in Bamako, the capital of Mali while its affiliate students’ body ‘Association of Djiboutian Students’ protested in Djibouti city against China over its atrocities on Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province.
The demonstrators berated then Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for inviting Yi to Islamabad for the OIC summit for the sake of Pakistan’s “financial interest”. The Chinese foreign minister participated as ‘special guest’ in the 48th Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC in Islamabad last month.
Imran Khan was removed by a no-trust vote in the National Assembly on Saturday night.
In a statement, the Association of Djiboutian Students alleged that Uyghur Muslims of Xinjiang are facing “genocide” and cultural aggression from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They were not allowing Uyghur Muslims to fast and pray during the month of Ramadan, they alleged.
“Wang not only used this occasion to push CCP’s narrative of how well Muslim minorities in China are treated, but also said, “China and the Islamic world both enjoy a profound history, seek similar values, and share historic missions,” the statement reads.
It further said, “Imran Khan in his recent speech has said that China is following the path of Nabi (SAW), a statement by puppet Khan is just to misguide the Muslim world for its own financial interest. Has Nabi (SAW) said China to restrict Muslims fasting during Ramadan, not allow Haj, destroy mosques, burn Quran and kill unborn babies? Imran is trying to misguide the Muslim world.”
In a video, the demonstrators are seen holding placards and banners, thanking Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu for speaking for Uyghur Muslims, urging members of other OIC countries to fight for the rights of Uyghur Muslims.
The demonstrators said Pakistan’s invitation to the Chinese foreign minister was akin to “Haram” and they were disappointed to see that “Pakistan is towing to the culprit CCP for the sake of money”.
China has been constructing a strategic base at Djibouti’s Doraleh Port that offers a host of strategic advantages. Located in the conjunction of the Red Sea, Djibouti offers easy access to the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and the Persian Gulf.