China: Uyghur woman sentenced to 17 years in prison for giving Islamic religious lessons to her two sons, neighbour

The woman was identified as 49-year-old Seylihan Rozi.

She was sentenced for providing “illegal underground religious activity” by teaching others the 10 Quranic verses that Muslims recite when they perform namaz, the practice of praying five times a day, a policeman in Saybagh village who oversaw her case told Radio Free Asia.

A Bulaqsu Township Party Committee staffer in Kashgar prefecture’s Konasheher county told RFA that Rozi was originally a resident of Saybagh village and that she had been sentenced to prison for her “illegal religious activities.”

According to media reports, Chinese authorities have punished Uyghurs in the country for their religious activities.

Rozi’s sons were sentenced to seven and 10 years, respectively, in prison for receiving “illegal religious education” from their mother, the police officer in Saybagh village told Radio Free Asia.

Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, has condemned the reported sentencing of Seylihan Rozi.

Washington, D.C., based CAIR called on the United Nations to take action to defend religious rights in China.