"Silence encourages the tormenter, never the tormented".

[guillaumeb]

From Elie Wiesel's acceptance speech after being awarded the Nobel Prize.


The quote is taken from a paragraph:

And then I explain to him how naïve we were, that the world did know and remained silent. And that is why I swore never to be silent whenever wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.

To read the entire speech:
http://eliewieselfoundation.org/elie-wiesel/nobelprizespeech/

I post this because, in responses to my few posts about the Chinese oppression of the Uighur Muslims in China, a few responses basically asked why I am even posting about this.

First, Wiesel says it far better than I could. We are all linked by our common humanity. What oppresses one can oppress all.

And oppression directed by atheists is equally as bad as the oppression directed by theists. It is the oppression that should be the focus.


The Chinese Government has given various excuses for their oppression, and in this case it is the Muslim Uighurs, but the Chinese Government has also tried to exercise control over other faith groups as well. It is a generalized intolerance for what they see as rivals.