Free Uyghur Now says Saudi Arabia has plans to deport the family at 9 pm Saudi time unless another country offers them refuge
(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/13/22) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on Secretary of State Blinken to offer asylum to four Uyghurs, including a 13 year-old-girl, that Saudi Arabia reportedly plans to deport to China tonight unless another country offers them refuge.
Yesterday, CAIR sent a letter to U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Rashad Hussain asking his office join American Muslims, American Uyghur Muslims, and other Turkic minority groups in calling on the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to halt its planned extradition of four Uyghurs to China, where they are likely to be persecuted for their faith and ethnicity.
Today, Free Uyghur Now learned and announced that the deporation is scheduled for 9 pm tonight.
READ: CAIR’s Letter to Amb. Rashad Hussain
https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/ReligiousFreedomLetter.pdf
In its letter, CAIR voiced concern over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s detention of Hemdullah Abduweli, an Uyghur Muslim religious scholar, and his friend Nurmemet Rozi, both of whom visited Saudi Arabia to perform the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.
In November 2020, the two men were detained by the Saudi government. Amnesty International also reports that Saudi police arrested Rozi’s former wife Buheliqiemu Abula and their 13-year-old daughter Hemdullah last Thursday.
In the letter to Ambassador Hussain, CAIR Director of Government Affairs Robert S. McCaw wrote in part:
“Time is now of the essence, and we respectfully request that you use the authority of your office to publicly demand the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to not deport these, or any other Uyghur Muslim or other Turkic minority, to China.
“Instead, the United States government should be proactively requesting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to immediately release all Uyghur Muslim and other Turkic minority detainees in their custody, including the four mentioned in this letter.
“In addition, we ask that you coordinate with the U.S. Department of State to offer to resettle these four Uyghur Muslims in the United States.”
On Sunday and Monday, CAIR joined several advocacy groups, including Free Uyghur Now, Uyghur American Association, Campaign for Uyghurs, and Uyghur Human Rights Project to stage protests outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington D.C, and consulates in New York and Los Angeles, to call on the Kingdom to halt its planned deportation of Uyghurs to China.
SEE: Breaking: Emergency Rallies in NY, DC, LA, Vancouver to Stop Deportation of Uyghurs by Saudi Arabia
In January, CAIR joined more than 70 Uyghur, interfaith, and human rights organizations to send letters to the Saudi government calling on them not to deport Abduweli and Rozi to China.
In December, CAIR welcomed President Biden’s signing of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (S.65/H.R.1155) into law. CAIR also welcomed new sanctions by the Biden administration on several Chinese government entities and corporations over abuses they committed against Uyghur Muslims and other minorities.
SEE: BREAKING: CAIR Welcomes President Biden’s Signing of Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act Into Law
The Chinese government is targeting Uyghur Muslims and other Turkic ethnic minorities with a campaign of genocide. Millions of Uyghurs have been detained in concentration camps in which beatings, torture and rape are the norm. Millions more are being used as slave labor by on plantations and in Chinese factories.
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com