(WASHINGTON, D.C., 5/30/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on the Biden administration to take action to prevent China from partially demolishing a mosque and continuing to suppress the Muslim minority and the practice of Islam in that nation.
Hui Muslim protesters clashed with police at the Najiaying Mosque in Yuxi in Yunnan province. The protesters sought to prevent an attempt by authorities to remove the mosque’s dome and minarets, which is part of the government’s ongoing campaign to suppress Islam and to “Sinicize” the faith. Government officials claim an expansion of the minarets and dome’s roof was illegal.
Throughout China, the government has demolished mosques or removed domes, minarets and other distinctive Islamic features to make them into nondescript buildings.
SEE: Thousands of ethnic minority Muslims defy Chinese authorities in defense of mosque (CNN)
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/30/china/china-yunnan-hui-mosque-protest-intl/index.html
Crowd in China clashes with police over plans to demolish mosque (AP)
https://apnews.com/article/china-muslim-mosque-protest-93e2e1e072fa908729b2b1598a1b06f0
Clashes at ancient China mosque over planned demolition
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/30/clashes-at-ancient-china-mosque-over-planned-demolition
“We call on the Biden administration to take concrete action to prevent the further destruction of China’s mosques and to push back against the Chinese government’s ongoing efforts to suppress the practice of Islam and other faiths in that nation,” said CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor. “It cannot be business as usual with China while that nation targets religious minorities in a campaign of erasure.”
Earlier this month, CAIR welcomed the U.S. State Department’s highlighting of religious persecution in China in its latest report. The Washington, D.C., based Muslim civil rights organization also recently expressed support for a bipartisan call by some two dozen members of Congress for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to halt the initial public offering of Chinese fashion giant Shein until it proves it does not use forced labor. In April, CAIR commended the efforts of congressional lawmakers for urging greater enforcement of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA)
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.
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, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected], CAIR National Communications Coordinator Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]