TikTok Sponsorship of UK Muslim Event Sparks Uyghur Outrage

TikTok sponsorship of UK Muslim event draws Uyghur outrage over censorship of human rights content.

By Uyghur Times Staff
February 2025

Credit: This article is based on reporting first published by Middle East Eye.

A British parliamentary event celebrating the “cultural contribution of Muslims in the UK” is facing criticism for its sponsorship by TikTok, a platform accused of censoring Uyghur human rights content.

The event, scheduled for March 11 at the House of Lords, is hosted by Baroness Shaista Gohir of the Muslim Women’s Network UK (MWNUK). “Baroness Gohir is delighted to invite you to the Parliamentary launch of Muslim Heritage Month, supported by TikTok,” reads the invitation.

TikTok, which was banned from the UK Parliament’s network in March 2023 over security concerns, has been accused of removing content about the Uyghur genocide. A World Uyghur Congress spokesperson told Middle East Eye (MEE), “TikTok reportedly removed or filtered content about the Uyghur genocide.”

“I do not believe [Muslim Women’s Network UK] supports violence and genocide, but its cooperation with TikTok sends a deeply troubling message,” Nefise Oguz, an Istanbul University student, told VOA in an email.

Oguz has used social media — including TikTok — to advocate for relatives detained in China. She accuses TikTok’s parent company, China-based ByteDance, of systematically censoring content about Uyghurs.

Uyghur rights activist Rizwanagul NurMuhammad condemned the event:
“As a Uyghur who has lost my brother to China’s arbitrary detention, I cannot stay silent while a Muslim initiative in the UK accepts the support of TikTok, a platform that actively censors our suffering, erases our voices, and now seeks legitimacy in Muslim spaces.”

She also called on MWNUK to “drop TikTok as a sponsor” and acknowledge Uyghur oppression.

A Westminster insider criticized TikTok’s involvement, calling it “as tone deaf as it is insulting” and stating, “Uyghur Muslims face unimaginable conditions and have only ever asked for our solidarity. To ignore that call so brazenly, in the holy month of Ramadan no less, is insulting.”

MWNUK defended TikTok’s role, arguing that engagement with the platform “allows for greater conversations on freedom of expression.” However, Uyghur activists insist that true solidarity means refusing partnerships with entities complicit in Uyghur repression.

Uyghurs have been lableing