The Uyghurs in the Diaspora: Opening Address

Abstract

Professor Irwin Cotler gave the opening address at the virtual symposium “The Uyghurs in the Diaspora” on May 31st, 2021. The objectives and aims of the conference were to present research findings from various groups regarding the situation of the Uyghur diaspora living in Canada. Given that the Uyghur identity has been heavily sanctioned by the Chinese government, leading several western governments – including Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom – to declare the situation in Xinjiang, China to be a genocide, the overarching questions guiding the symposium were related to how diaspora communities have been re-claiming their Uyghur identity: How has the ongoing genocide affected the Uyghur community? How has emigration and living in the diaspora allowed the community to “reconnect” with their cultural and religious identity?