CAIR Press Releases

CAIR Condemns Chinese Government’s Use of Spies to Disrupt Muslim Uyghurs’ Observance of Ramadan

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 4/13/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the Chinese government’s reported use of spies to keep Muslim Uyghurs from fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. 

According to a report by Radio Free Asia, Chinese officials have deployed spies in neighborhoods in the Xinjiang province to monitor their adherence to religious practices during Ramadan. During the first week of Ramadan, authorities reportedly summoned 56 Uyghur residents and former detainees to interrogate them about their activities and determined that 54 of them violated the law by fasting. 

SEE: China using spies to keep Muslim Uyghurs from fasting during Ramadan
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/ramadan-spies-04102023174504.html  

In a statement, CAIR Deputy Executive Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said: 

“The Chinese government’s reported use of spies to disrupt the religious observance of Muslim Uyghurs during Ramadan is a violation of their most basic human dignity and of international laws on religious freedom. The Chinese Communist Party must end its war on Islam in Xinjiang.” 

Backgrounder On Uyghur Genocide:       

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. 

Washington, D.C., based CAIR has called for “vigorous enforcement” of a new law that blocks imports linked to forced labor by Uyghur Muslims and other persecuted groups in China.    

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