About UIC
The first and only Uyghur Islamic Center (UIC) in the U.S. was founded in 2021 to serve the Uyghur and other Muslim communities at large in the DC-Metro area. Our goal is to preserve our religion and culture for our people now and for future generations to come.
During this historically challenging time in our history, an Uyghur brother provided his event hall for our community to pray Jumu’ah and Eid prayers for over a year for free. During this time, we cultivated a small but committed group of Muslims and sought to expand our efforts. Our community graciously supported our ambitions and funded us towards our goals, and the Uyghur Islamic Center was established.
We are currently renting a space to offer the five daily prayers and Jumu’ah prayer, and to host various Islamic programs and serve the community.
We have already started our fundraising efforts with the goal of raising $2 million to purchase our current rented property and establish a permanent Islamic center. You can find more details about our fundraising efforts by clicking here.
The Uyghur Islamic Center is a nonprofit organization (EIN: 87-4723081) recognized as tax-exempt under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code section 501 (c)(3). The UIC is an independent organization and is not affiliated with any individuals or organizations.
Our History
The Uyghurs are a Turkic ethnic group originating in East Turkestan. Since 1949, our country has been occupied by China, and beginning in 2016, our people have been subject to a government-sponsored genocide.
Thousands of mosques have been demolished, Islamic names are forbidden, scriptures are burned, and religions have been labeled as “mental diseases.” Uyghur Muslims are being sent to concentration camps and being tortured to renounce their faith and culture.
The ones who have not been sent away live in heavy surveillance and their daily lives are akin to living in an open prison. The small numbers of Uyghurs living abroad are struggling to preserve their religion and culture.