New Delhi

The Global Imams Council based in Najaf in Iraq has refuted a report in Chinese state media Global Times that said it was fooled by “anti-China WUC (World Uyghur Congress) to call for 'boycott' of Beijing Games”.

In a statement, it said that the report in Global Times contained lies and fabrications with the sole intention of distracting the public from China’s “violations of human rights, and to defame this Council”.

“The first claim was that The Global Imams Council was “fooled” by the World Uyghur Congress (WUC) to ban Muslim participation in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. This is a lie, as we have an active Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the WUC, and we share the concerns of the Uyghur people that the Chinese government is persecuting. The statement was our initiative and was not requested by the WUC,” the Council said.

“The second claim was that the Muslim leaders' CC’d (Carbon Copied) onto our statement had opposed our statement. This is also a lie. Chinese Embassies threatened and pressured two of the mentioned Muftis to deny signing the statement, despite the fact that a ‘CC’ does not mean ‘signature’. We then clarified this matter and personally contacted those Islamic authorities. Furthermore, we issued a separate statement assuring Muslims that we supported sporting activities but were only opposed to an event that served the interests of the Chinese government.”

It also dismissed a third claim by Global Times that the President of The Global Imams Council, Imam al-Budairi, was interviewed by a journalist in Iraq and had supposedly stated that the World Uyghur Congress funds this Council.

“This is another lie because not only was the name of the interviewer not disclosed, the President of this Council was never actually interviewed on this matter, nor did he meet with a journalist. Additionally, the Arabic “source” cited within the smear article “Al-Arabiyah News” is not a real news organization in Iraq; and is unlawfully using the copyrighted name of Al Arabiya News Organization and logo that is based in Dubai, UAE (alarabiya.net).”

“The second lie in this claim is that the “journalist” visited the Headquarters of this Council. This is impossible, as the Council Headquarters were closed due to COVID regulations and will reopen in mid-February 2022,” the Council said.

It said the Chinese government has launched a defamatory and libellous campaign to discredit the Council and to character assassinate whoever advocates for the freedom of the Uyghur people.

“We are China’s latest victims. We consider these false allegations, manipulations, and accusations a provocation by the Chinese government. This Council focuses on advocating for peace, harmony, coexistence and human rights…. We will not be intimidated, and we shall multiply our efforts by ensuring that the most leading Grand Ayatollahs, Muftis and Islamic Authorities in the Muslim world, Sunni and Shia, issue independent statements against the Chinese government’s violations of human rights,” the Council said.

The Council which claims it has over 1300 members oversees the affairs of over 800 centers, mosques, and organizations globally.