(WASHINGTON, D.C., 8/28/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called for the release of a Kazakh man detained in China allegedly for reciting Quran in public and keeping that Islamic religious text in his home.
Chinese authorities in Xinjiang reportedly detained the man, Kusman Rehim, 56, for offering public Quranic recitations – including at a Muslim wedding. He was allegedly detained after “police found a Quran in his home.” In 2017, China authorities reportedly banned the recitation of the Quran in public in Xinjiang.
SEE: Xinjiang police detain ethnic Kazakh who sang Quranic recitations at Muslim wedding
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/china/kazakh-detained-08252023153057.html
News of the man’s detention comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping made a surprise visit to Xinjiang and urged officials to “more deeply promote the Sinicization of Islam and effectively control illegal religious activities.”
“It is a clear violation of international norms of religious freedom to detain someone merely for reciting or possessing the revealed text of their faith,” said CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw. “We demand the immediate release of Kusman Rehim and we urge the international community, including governments in Muslim-majority nations, to address China’s egregious human rights abuses.”
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 on plantations and in Chinese factories.
Earlier this month, CAIR welcomed the Department of Homeland Security’s ban on imports from Camel Group Co., Ltd. and Chenguang Biotech Group Co., Ltd. and its subsidiary Chenguang Biotechnology Group Yanqi Co. Ltd. because of the companies’ forced labor practices that target groups, such as Uyghur Muslims in China.
In April, CAIR commended the efforts of congressional lawmakers for urging greater enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
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 Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com