CFU PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2024 at 5:00 PM ET
Sabrina Sohail: sabrina@campaignforuyghurs.org
(650) 703-4523
Campaign for Uyghurs (CFU) would like to greet our Muslim brothers and sisters across the globe — Eid Mubarak (blessed festival). Sadly, this greeting is amid the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) war on the Uyghur people of occupied East Turkistan. As the holy month of Ramadan comes to an end, we must remember Uyghurs who are enduring extreme religious persecution and genocide at the hands of the CCP.
The CCP’s campaign of genocide in East Turkistan represents not only an assault on the Uyghur people and Islam but also an attack on freedom of thought and ultimately, humanity. Before Eid al Fitr in April 2023, Chinese authorities released the dead bodies of at least 26 Uyghurs. This is a blatant example of the CCP’s intent to discourage celebration with a violent statement that Uyghurs must submit or face death. To date, More than 16,000 mosques have been destroyed, and Islamic practices such as fasting, praying, owning or reading the Quran are outlawed. The Quran is systematically rewritten with a state-approved version, and those found to have read the text decades ago are detained in camps.
CFU’s Executive Director and Founder Rushan Abbas stated, “Today, we must internalize that our Uyghur Muslim brothers and sisters are fighting for survival, stripped of their faith and livelihood. The essence of our religion is being distorted in the CCP’s brutal genocidal campaign. China must be held accountable for its crimes on the world stage. This can only truly happen when the need for urgent action resonates within the consciousness of every Muslim in our global community.”
Ms. Abbas recently co-authored an op-ed with Eric Patterson, President and CEO of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, which explores the depth of persecution for Uyghurs experiencing Ramadan under communism. CFU implores the global community to stand alongside the Uyghurs as they fight for their right to exist. We demand that governments, organizations, and individuals take meaningful steps to counter the CCP’s blatant genocide and disregard for freedom of religion.
