Ex-Chelsea star Demba Ba calls for solidarity against treatment of Uighur Muslims in China

In the wake of the global Black Lives Matter movement, former Chelsea striker Demba Ba has called for support from the football fraternity against the treatment of Uighur Muslims in China. The French-born Senegal striker currently plies his trade in Turkey where he plays for Turkish league champions Istanbul Basaksehir. He previously played for Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua between 2015 and 2018.

Demba Ba urges football unity against treatment of Uighur Muslims

"The Black Lives Matter movement is stronger when non-black people step up for it," Demba Ba told BBC Sport. "When are we going to see the rest of the world stand up for Muslims?" The former Chelsea, West Ham and Newcastle forward said he will try to organise something so that football players can come together in support of the Uighur Muslims. In the interim, Ba said it is paramount to keep talking about this matter since it lot of people don't want to address the controversial topic. 

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As per reports, more than a million Uighur are said to have been detained in Chinese prison camps without proper trial. Their faith and ethnicity has been the reason behind the mass segregation as the Chinese government has reportedly separated Uighur children from their parents. Uighur women are also said to be forcibly sterilised.

China has repeatedly tried to distance itself from the growing calls to end this oppression. Initially, the officials denied it was a prison camp, instead, claiming there were voluntary schools in Xinjiang for anti-extremism training. 

"I know there are footballers who want to fight for justice, whether Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, any belief," Ba added. "As sportspeople, we have a power we don't even know. If we get together and talk, things change. If we stand up, people stand up with us."

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The former Chelsea star is not the first footballer to speak up against China's treatment of Uighur Muslims and other minority communities. Arsenal attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil highlighted the discrimination of Uighur on social media. However, Ozil's call for support went unheard as Arsenal distanced itself from the controversy, claiming the club "always adheres to the principles" of not getting involved in politics.

"What I said was not against Chinese people, it was against whoever is doing this to the Uighur Muslims and other people who are not helping them, such as other Muslim countries," Ozil told The Athletic last week. "I have given a lot to Arsenal, on and off the pitch, so the reaction was disappointing. They said they don't get involved in politics but this isn't politics and they have got involved in other issues." 

While the anti-racism movement has taken the centre-stage in recent months, it remains to be seen if a renewed effort from the likes of Demba Ba and Ozil can rally footballers and other athletes to speak up against the oppression in China. 

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(Image Credits: UEFA.com DE Twitter Handle)