Re: Iran "Concerned" Over Chinese Crackdown

Greg, you are correct -- a true pot/kettle case. But there's more going on here than just the ironic audacity; this public expression of concern from Tehran over the Xinjiang violence may have been an indirect swipe at the Saudis.

The Uighurs, after all, are predominantly Sunni. Normally, a situation like this would be ideal for Saudi Arabia to step in and exert their soft power role over the faith. But most of the Sunni Arab regimes have remained silent on the crackdowns in Xinjiang, and the Saudis in particular are much too economically wed with Beijing to speak out.

This opened up a great window of opportunity for Iran to be the principled voice on the matter, and a true spokesman for “the rights of Chinese Muslims.”