The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned a draft law in Uzbekistan that would punish parents seeking Islamic education for their children.
Despite Uzbekistan being a Muslim-majority country, there are only 15 educational institutions teaching Islam. If passed into law, the measure would punish parents who seek Islamic education for their children outside the limited opportunities legally available.
A recent Human Rights Watch report states: “Uzbek authorities restrict religious freedom by preventing registration of religious communities, subjecting former religious prisoners to arbitrary controls, and prosecuting Muslims on broad and vaguely worded extremism-related charges.”
“Parents of all faiths must be free to educate their children about spiritual matters without intervention of the state,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “Unfortunately, this draft law is representative of an international trend toward religious repression.”
He noted that earlier this month, CAIR condemned the passage of a bill in Tajikistan that would ban the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, and other Islamic clothing.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@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