US Uighurs wait to take in Guantanamo detainees

For centuries, hospitality to weary travelers has been part of the Uighur culture. The Uighur land in what is now the far western province of China carried merchants traversing the famed Silk Road. So in many ways it was only natural for Elshat Hassan, 46, of McLean, Virginia, to open his home to the most weary of his countrymen. He plans to host one of 17 Uighurs who have been detained by the U.S. for nearly seven years at Guantanamo Bay. "They will be free, finally," Hassan said of the detainees, describing plans to prepare a traditional meal for Uighur guests: polo, a pilaf consisting of rice, lamb, carrots and onions. The tiny Uighur community in the Washington, D.C. area has been largely anonymous, but is suddenly in the spotlight: a federal judge this week brushed aside White House objections and ordered the 17 Uighurs... [read full story]