Asked by: Imran Ahmad Khan (Independent - Wakefield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart on the persecution of Ahmadis in that country.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government remains deeply concerned by reports of discrimination and violence against religious communities in Pakistan, including against the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. We continue to urge the government of Pakistan at senior levels to guarantee the fundamental rights of all its citizens, regardless of their religion or belief.
Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister for South Asia, raised our concerns about the recent murders of Ahmadi Muslims with Pakistan's Special Representative for Religious Harmony, Tahir Ashrafi, on 23 March. Lord Ahmad also raised our concerns about the persecution of Ahmadi Muslims with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, on 20 February. In addition, Officials from the British High Commission in Islamabad met with representatives from the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Rabwah on 3 November 2020, in order to understand and engage with their concerns.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have considered night clinics for the vaccination of Muslims during Ramadan.
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government and NHS England and NHS Improvement have been working closely with local vaccination providers and system partners to put arrangements in place to help support Muslims to receive their vaccination, particularly if they are invited during Ramadan.
We have ensured through key messaging from scholarly leaders and the British Islamic Medical Association that it is permissible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine while fasting during Ramadan. We have provided advice and reassurances on questions and concerns around vaccination and Ramadan and we are working closely with local authorities, charities, faith and community groups to ensure these messages are disseminated widely. Effort has been made to promote key messages in faith-based radio stations, TV channels and multi-lingual messages developed by clinical and faith leaders.
We have issued guidance to our local partners on actions they should consider with reference to the needs of their local Muslim population during Ramadan which includes:
- Extending vaccination sites opening hours during twilight hours in places with high Muslim populations;
- Supporting pop-up/roving/temporary vaccination sites in areas with a high Muslim population;
- Allowing greater flexibility in booking schedules for later appointments;
- Outreach into homes to support those who are housebound and for women; and
- Flexibility to vaccinate where needed across Muslim groups, such as vaccinating members of multi-generational households on single visits.
We have been working closely with our system partners to support these actions and many are already being implemented. Additionally, we have also been supporting the organisation of women’s only vaccine clinics.
Asked by: Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements are they putting in place for COVID-19 vaccinations for Muslims during Ramadan
Answered by Lord Bethell
The Government and NHS England and NHS Improvement have been working closely with local vaccination providers and system partners to put arrangements in place to help support Muslims to receive their vaccination, particularly if they are invited during Ramadan.
We have ensured through key messaging from scholarly leaders and the British Islamic Medical Association that it is permissible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine while fasting during Ramadan. We have provided advice and reassurances on questions and concerns around vaccination and Ramadan and we are working closely with local authorities, charities, faith and community groups to ensure these messages are disseminated widely. Effort has been made to promote key messages in faith-based radio stations, TV channels and multi-lingual messages developed by clinical and faith leaders.
We have issued guidance to our local partners on actions they should consider with reference to the needs of their local Muslim population during Ramadan which includes:
- Extending vaccination sites opening hours during twilight hours in places with high Muslim populations;
- Supporting pop-up/roving/temporary vaccination sites in areas with a high Muslim population;
- Allowing greater flexibility in booking schedules for later appointments;
- Outreach into homes to support those who are housebound and for women; and
- Flexibility to vaccinate where needed across Muslim groups, such as vaccinating members of multi-generational households on single visits.
We have been working closely with our system partners to support these actions and many are already being implemented. Additionally, we have also been supporting the organisation of women’s only vaccine clinics.
Asked by: Meg Hillier (Labour (Co-op) - Hackney South and Shoreditch)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
What recent diplomatic steps he has taken in response to human rights abuses against (a) the Uyghurs and (b) other minorities in China.
Answered by Nigel Adams
On 22 March, under the UK’s Global Human Rights sanctions regime, the Foreign Secretary announced asset freezes and travel bans against four senior Chinese government officials and one entity responsible for the gross violations of human rights of Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang.
On 22 February, the Foreign Secretary delivered a Ministerial Statement at the UN Human Rights Council – the first time a UK Foreign Secretary has done so since 2010. He highlighted our deep concerns about the human rights violations being perpetrated against Tibetans, Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities in China, and underlined the need for urgent and unfettered access to Xinjiang for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The UK also led the first two joint statements on the persecution of the Uyghurs and other minorities at the UN, and we have worked tirelessly with partners to raise the issue up the international agenda.
On 12 January, the Foreign Secretary announced robust domestic measures in respect of UK supply chains to help ensure that British businesses are not complicit in human rights violations in Xinjiang.
The Foreign Secretary has personally raised our serious concerns with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on a number of occasions.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 1 December 2020 (HL10439), what assessment they have made of any Islamist teaching in mosques in the UK; what assessment they have made of the number of Imams in the UK who cannot speak English; and what plans they have to require services in mosques in the UK to be conducted in English.
Answered by Baroness Williams of Trafford - Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
Religious organisations and faith-based institutions may recruit religious leaders from overseas via our T2 Minister of Religion route. The Immigration Rules governing this category require applicants to demonstrate a strong command of the English language in order to qualify for a visa.
Muslims make an enormous contribution to British society and have done so for centuries. Islam is a religion observed peacefully by over a billion people worldwide and we remain clear that Islamist extremism is not true Islam. Whether through Islamism or any other ideology, the Government is committed to tackling those who spread views that promote violence and hatred against individuals and communities in our society, and that radicalise others into terrorism.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Independent - Edmonton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his oral statement of 12 January 2021, Official Report, column 160 on Xinjiang: forced labour, whether Magnitsky style sanctions are now being considered against the Chinese officials most closely involved with the human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The UK Government remains gravely concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang. On 12 January, the Foreign Secretary announced robust, targeted measures to help ensure that British organisations, whether public or private sector, are not complicit in, nor profiting from, the human rights violations in Xinjiang. These measures will target in a forensic way either those profiting from forced labour or those who would financially support it, whether deliberately or otherwise. We also continue to play a leading role in holding China to account for its human rights violations in the region, working closely with international partners. We keep all evidence and potential listings under the UK's Global Human Rights sanctions regime under close review.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation of the Uighur people in China in respect of reports of rape, torture and forced sterilisation.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The 3 February BBC report into this issue offers deeply distressing testimony of the rape, torture and dehumanisation of Uyghur women in Xinjiang detention centres. It is a further, compelling addition to the growing body of evidence of the gross human rights violations being perpetrated against Uyghur Muslims and other minorities in Xinjiang. The Government is committed to taking robust action in respect of Xinjiang. That is why, on 12 January, the Foreign Secretary announced a series of targeted measures to help ensure that British organisations are not complicit in, nor profiting from, the human rights violations in the region. The UK has played, and will continue to play, a leading role in building international pressure on China to change course.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what additional steps the (a) UK Government and (b) UN are planning to take in response to the human rights abuses in the Xinjiang Province of China against the Uyghur Muslims.
Answered by Nigel Adams
The Government will continue to demonstrate international leadership to hold China to account for its gross violations of human rights in Xinjiang, including at the UN. On 6 October 2020, the UK and 38 other countries joined a statement at the UN Third Committee in New York expressing deep concern at the situation in Xinjiang. On 12 January, the Foreign Secretary announced a robust package of measures to help ensure that British organisations, whether public or private sector, are not complicit in, nor profiting from, the human rights violations in Xinjiang. We have also repeatedly urged China to allow the UN Human Rights Commissioner unfettered access to the region.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for International Trade:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks made by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 7 December 2020 (HL Deb, col 1085), what plans they have to enter free trade negotiations with the government of China in the future; and what human rights due diligence they will employ during any such negotiations to ensure that the UK does not support the exploitation of Uighur Muslims in China.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
HM Government has no plans at present to negotiate a free trade agreement with China.
The United Kingdom has long supported the promotion of our values globally and has consistently voiced concern at the situation in Xinjiang. On 12th January, the Foreign Secretary announced a series of measures to help ensure that no British businesses will profit from or contribute to violations against the Uyghurs or other minorities. These measures send a clear message to China that there are economic and reputation costs for what it is doing in Xinjiang.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British-born Muslims who joined the armed forces from (a) 2016 to (b) 2019 completed the minimum length of service before exiting the armed services.
Answered by James Heappey
In the period 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2019, an estimated 85 personnel joined the untrained Regular Armed Forces and self-identified as British-born Muslims; personnel are not mandated to provide their religious identity. As at 1 April 2020, an estimated 35 of these personnel had not joined the full-time trained strength, either because they had left their Service prior to 31 March 2020 or because they were still in training. There is no standard minimum length of service across the Armed Forces.