Jordan MPs urge government to protest China's crackdown on Muslims

Jordan MPs urge government to protest China's crackdown on Muslims
Tuesday, 14 July 2009 18:21
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M&C

Amman - At least 40 Jordanian lawmakers signed a memorandum Monday urging the government to lodge an official protest over China's crackdown on Muslim Uighurs in the Xinjiang region, parliamentary sources said.

'The government should summon the Chinese envoy and relay to him a strongly worded protest and condemnation over what is going on in the Xinjiang province,' the deputies said in a memorandum handed to Abdul Hadi Majali, speaker of the lower house of Parliament.

'We have followed up with great concern the dangerous developments there and the horrible and bloody crackdown on Uighur Muslims and the threats by the Chinese authorities to execute more of them and prevent them from praying at mosques.'

Jordan's influential Muslim Brotherhood movement has condemned the killing of hundreds of Uighur Mislims and what it called the 'savage suppression' of the Chinese Muslims' peaceful activity.

'Dealing with Muslims in such an extremely cruel and violent manner has left deep wounds with us and with all Muslims all over the globe,' Brotherhood leader Hammam Saeed said in a message to Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Saeed urged Beijing to resort to dialogue instead of violence and to allow Muslims to exercise their right of free worship, saying China should preserve the 'traditional friendship with the Arab and Islamic nations.'