KEEP WRITING LETTERS TO FREE HUSEYIN CELIL

KEEP WRITING LETTERS TO FREE HUSEYIN CELIL

(Ottawa, Canada - 05/04/06) - The Canadian Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR-CAN) is reissuing its action alert calling for Canadian
Muslims to continue writing letters to help free Huseyin Celil, the Canadian
Muslim Imam detained in Uzbekistan.

“My children and I fear for Huseyin’s life everyday,” said Kamila
Telendibaeva, Mr. Celil’s wife, when she met with CAIR-CAN Executive
Director Karl Nickner. “My husband is a Canadian citizen and he should be
treated like a Canadian citizen. I believe the Canadian government has a
responsibility to do everything it can to protect his rights and bring him
home safely to Canada.”

Huseyin Celil, a Canadian Muslim who served as an Imam at a Hamilton,
Ontario mosque, was detained last month during a visit to Uzbekistan and is
facing deportation to China for possible execution. He is currently being
held under house arrest, and is in need of medical assistance for a stomach
problem. He has been denied access to a lawyer.

To read more about Mr. Celil’s case please see:
http://www.haltonsearch.com/hr/bp/story/3476326p-4016309c.html

CAIR-CAN has written to Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay and is also
one of the 12 organizations that have signed Amnesty International’s open
letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, requesting he work to free Mr.
Celil from imprisonment in Uzbekistan. That letter can be read here:
http://www.amnesty.ca/archives/open_letter_huseyin_celil2.php

The Canadian government has a responsibility to do everything it can to
protect the rights of all Canadians, even when traveling abroad.

Chris MacLeod, the lawyer for Mr. Celil's family, and opposition MPs have
called on the Prime Minister to personally intervene to help free Mr. Celil
and have him returned home safely to Canada. Please write to the Prime
Minister and urge him to do his utmost to free Mr. Celil.


ACTION REQUESTED:

1. WRITE to Prime Minister Stephen Harper. A draft letter has been provided
below.

2. FORWARD this message to your friends and family.

3. ANNOUNCE this action alert at Friday jumu'ah prayers to tell others in
your community to write letters. Please coordinate with your local mosques
for an announcement to be made.

Please send a copy of your letters to CAIR-CAN at canada@cair-net.org

The Right Honorable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario. K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
E-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca


DRAFT LETTER:

Dear Right Hon. Prime Minister Harper

RE: Huseyin CELIL; Canadian Citizen Imprisoned in Uzbekistan

I write to you today out of concern for Huseyin Celil, a Canadian Muslim
Imam who has been detained in Uzbekistan and is facing deportation to China
for possible execution. Mr. Celil is a Canadian citizen who had been
traveling on his Canadian passport when he was imprisoned.

I appreciate the efforts to date of the Canadian government in trying to
free Mr. Celil, however I urge you to continue to do your utmost to protect
the rights of this Canadian citizen. Opposition MPs, such as Paul Szabo and
Dan McTeague, have suggested that you, Mr. Prime Minister, should personally
intervene in this case to secure Mr. Celil’s release. This has been done by
previous Prime Ministers and high ranking politicians for other Canadian
citizens in the past.

I urge you to uphold the responsibilities of your office and ask that you do
your utmost to ensure that the rights of all Canadians are protected, even
when abroad. Please help free Mr. Celil so that he can be returned home
safely to Canada.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]