An Elderly Saudi Woman Arrested for Memorizing the Holy Quran
It has been two years and nine months since Aisha Al-Muhajiri, an elderly Saudi woman, was taken into custody from her Mecca home on suspicion of teaching Qur’an classes. She has been kept in jail to date without a clear legal basis.
Aisha Al-Muhajiri, 67, was taken into custody in February 2021 after Saudi security forces stormed her family house in Mecca. She was taken to Dhahban prison without being allowed to communicate with a lawyer or know the legal charges behind her arrest. In addition, her children received arrest threats for questioning her fate.
The preacher Aisha Al-Muhajiri is currently facing imprisonment for holding Qur’anic classes in her home, according to well-informed sources. But no legal proceedings were carried out to put her on trial.
Aisha Al-Muhajiri was subjected to inhumane treatment. She has been held in extremely poor detention conditions and denied family visits after her children received arrest threats in case they asked to meet her. Furthermore, her image has been tarnished by organised distortion campaigns directed by the Saudi government against any critical voices in the Kingdom.
Al-Muhajiri was forcibly detained, completely violating her legal rights, especially considering that she is an elderly woman in need of specialised medical attention.
We call on the Saudi authorities to immediately and urgently release the preacher Aisha Al-Muhajiri and all elderly detainees, given the imminent danger to their lives in the notorious Saudi prisons.
