Uighurs Take on Newt

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Detainees
Posted on Tue May 19, 2009 at 06:36:30 PM EST
Tags: Uighurs (all tags)

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The 17 Uighur detainees at Guantanamo Bay are fighting back against Newt Gingrich. Via Ryan Grim at Huffington Post:

Chinese Muslims known as Uighurs, detained for more than six years and counting at the American prison at Guantanamo Bay, are firing back at Newt Gingrich, who has accused them of terrorist ties and says that releasing them into the United States would endanger the country. The seventeen Uighurs sent their message to the Huffington Post through their translator, Rushan Abbas, who has been working with them in Guantanamo since 2002, initially contracted by the Department of Defense.

[More...]

The Bush administration has cleared the Uighurs for release; five have already been released to third countries. If returned to China, there is a high probability they'd be tortured. A vibrant Uighur community in Northern Virginia has offered to take them in, but Gingrich and others are objecting.

Go, Uighurs! Here's part of their reply.

Why does he hate us so much and say those kinds of things? He doesn't know us. He should talk to our attorneys if he's curious about our background," Abbas relates. "How could he speak in such major media with nothing based in fact? They were very disappointed how Newt Gingrich was linking them to ETIM which they never even heard of the name ETIM until they came to Guantanamo Bay."

TalkLeft coverage of the Uighurs is accessible here.

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Uighurs Take on Newt | 12 comments (12 topical)

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Ah Newt (5.00 / 2) (#1)
by ruffian on Tue May 19, 2009 at 07:03:05 PM EST

I'd rather have these Uighurs in my community than Newt Gingrich. Any day of the week.

The new American justice system (5.00 / 2) (#6)
by koshembos on Tue May 19, 2009 at 08:39:04 PM EST

Bipartisan support for the new American justice system, every Muslim is assumed guilty even if proven innocent.

I, am baffled or course (none / 0) (#2)
by Wile ECoyote on Tue May 19, 2009 at 07:25:28 PM EST

Why This thread is about Newt. Here is Dem. Sen. Jim Webb on ABC TV last Sunday saying not on his watch will they be in VA. Who cares what Newt says. He's not in office. He holds no sway over Obama.

most likely because it's just fun to point (none / 0) (#3)
by of1000Kings on Tue May 19, 2009 at 07:36:43 PM EST

out how much of an extreme idiot Newt is...and how absurd it is that he has a voice in the national spotlight at all (ever, for that matter)...

Thank you for also calling out Webb, though...that's what this blog is here for...

I care not whether the wo/man is R or D, I only care about the types of decisions the wo/man makes...

you must think there are people here who are more loyal to a little letter beside a persons name than they are to justice and freedom...and maybe there are a couple, but on the whole I'd think you are wrong...


: Indeed, why give Newt attention? (none / 0) (#7)
by dutchfox on Tue May 19, 2009 at 11:13:40 PM EST

Part of the fault lies with the media, which
answer his cravings with coverage. Yes?

all hypocrites, D & R (none / 0) (#4)
by Dadler on Tue May 19, 2009 at 07:57:42 PM EST

Webb. Pfft. As if plenty of heinous crap hasn't already taken place on his watch. So much that the disgusted timepiece has officially put in for a transfer. Wish that Rolex luck.


: Somebody needs to (none / 0) (#9)
by gyrfalcon on Tue May 19, 2009 at 11:36:30 PM EST

get on Webb's case about this. He knows, or should know, better than this. He doesn't have to be a big supporter of the idea, given his political precariousness in Virginia, but he doesn't have to be super-vocal about it, either.

Because the Uighurs are (none / 0) (#11)
by ruffian on Wed May 20, 2009 at 02:12:08 PM EST

directly responding to Newt. I'm sure there will continue to be threads about the general issue.


An important question (none / 0) (#5)
by Steve M on Tue May 19, 2009 at 08:35:14 PM EST

How do you pronounce "Uighur," anyway?

: WEE-gur (none / 0) (#8)
by gyrfalcon on Tue May 19, 2009 at 11:34:49 PM EST

is how I've heard it pronounced by people who've worked with them.

Not here (none / 0) (#10)
by catmandu on Wed May 20, 2009 at 01:15:29 PM EST

They should return to their own country.

: To be tortured? (none / 0) (#12)
by nycstray on Wed May 20, 2009 at 02:40:18 PM EST