JNS: A 49-year-old Uyghur woman from Xinjiang, China, has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for allegedly conducting illegal religious lessons. Seylihan Rozi was accused of providing religious education to her two sons and a neighbour, teaching them Quranic verses used in daily prayers (namaz), according to the media reports.
The charges against Rozi stem from her involvement in what authorities describe as “illegal underground religious activity.” According to a local policeman from Saybagh village, Rozi’s teachings centred on 10 Quranic verses, which she shared with her family and one neighbour.
Rozi’s sentencing was confirmed by a staff member of the Bulaqsu Township Party Committee in Kashgar’s Konasheher County. The official stated that she was imprisoned for her “illegal religious activities,” a charge that aligns with reports of increasing restrictions on religious freedoms in the Xinjiang region.
In addition to Rozi’s prison sentence, her two sons have also been given lengthy prison terms. One received a seven-year sentence, while the other was sentenced to 10 years for participating in what authorities labelled as “illegal religious education.”
The case has sparked condemnation from international human rights groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. CAIR has called on the United Nations to take action to protect religious freedoms and intervene in China’s treatment of its Uyghur population.
This development is part of a broader pattern of religious repression in Xinjiang, where Uyghur Muslims have faced significant restrictions on their religious practices in recent years.
