WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2023) Republican presidential hopeful and Miami mayor Francis Suarez seemed unaware of the existence of the Uyghur ethnic group of Northwest China, when asked about them during an interview on Tuesday.
"What's a Uyghur?" Suarez said during an interview with Salem news Channel's Hugh Hewitt, when asked whether he plans to raise the issue of the treatment of Uyghurs as part of his campaign.
When advised by Hewitt to inform himself about the issue, Suarez promised to look into the matter, noting that he is a "fast learner."
Hewitt responded to Suarez's comments in a tweet after the interview's conclusion, saying "Mayor @FrancisSuarez was pretty good for a first conversation on air about national security--except for the huge blind spot on the Uyghurs. 'What's a Uyghur?' is not (what) I expect people running for president to say when asked about the ongoing genocide in China."
A spokesman for Suarez told the Miami Herald after the interview that he had merely misheard Hewitt, chalking up the gaffe to his own misunderstanding of the word's correct pronunciation.
"Of course, I am well aware of the suffering of the Uyghurs in China. They are being enslaved because of their faith," Suarez said. "China has a deplorable record on human rights and all people of faith suffer there. I didn't recognize the pronunciation my friend Hugh Hewitt used. That's on me."
Suarez filed earlier this month as a contender to become the Republican candidate in the 2024 US presidential election. Suarez is the third Florida resident to join the Republican Primary, alongside former US President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Uyghurs are a Turkic and largely Muslim ethnic group, with significant populations living in China, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Turkey. The vast majority of Uyghurs, however, reside in China's Xinjiang region.
The United States and other countries have alleged that the Chinese government's treatment of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region may constitute human rights violations. China has dismissed the accusations as unfounded and claimed that they are being used to smear its ethnic and religious policies.
