Voice of America (VOA) stated that the Save Uyghur Organization launched a boycott campaign against Shein, a Chinese online fast-fashion shop, on the grounds that it is involved in the forced labor of Uyghur Muslims in China.
The Chicago-based human rights organization “Justice for All,” which powers the Save Uyghur Organization, promotes a halt to “China’s genocide of the Uyghurs and other Turkic people of East Turkistan.”
The human rights organization has urged Muslim women to boycott Shein, claiming that it is involved in the forced labor of Uyghur Muslims in China, as Muslims celebrate Eid ul-Fitr across the world.
The rights group stated on X last week that “TAKE ACTION – Boycott Alert for SHEIN.” When you shop for #Eid, please consider boycotting SHEIN by spreading the word. Thousands of Muslim women and girls are purchasing jilbabs from SHEIN, which is disheartening given the public awareness of their usage of #UyghurForcedLabor.
According to VOA, some Muslim women wear jilbabs, which are full-length, head-to-toe garments that cover the hands.
The leader of the Save Uyghur movement, Arslan Hidayat, claimed that Shein’s purported use of forced labor makes the Uyghur people’s oppression worse.
“It is crucial for Muslims to use their consumer power to protest against the use of forced labour and to demonstrate solidarity with the Uyghur community,” Hidayat stated to VOA.
“It is incumbent upon us to prioritise ethical consumption practices and advocate for justice for the Uyghur people,” Hidayat said.
Beijing, however, informed VOA that there is no forced labor in Xinjiang.
A spokesman for Shein claims that the store has a zero-tolerance policy regarding forced labor.
“We take visibility across our entire supply chain seriously, and we are committed to respecting human rights. To comply with US law, we require our contract manufacturers to only source cotton from approved regions,” the company spokesperson stated.
Hidayat added that although Ramadan is a time for spiritual introspection and sacrifice, a lot of Muslims buy prayer clothing from Shein at this time, according to VOA.
According to Hidayat, “Shein is a popular clothing brand founded in China for North American consumers. Particularly amongst Muslim communities, they are consistent customers because of its cheap prices for hijabs, abayas and jilbabs,”
Shein has been using Muslim social media personalities to market its products.
Founded in 2012 and is supported by China-based IDG Capital and California-based Sequoia Capital, has grown into a massive fast-fashion company that caters to Generation Z customers outside of China, according to VOA.