Jewher Ilham is the daughter of Uyghur scholar, Ilham Tohti, an internationally noted moderate voice who was dedicated to bridging the gap between the Uyghur people and the Han Chinese. Jewher arrived in the United States in 2013, following the detention of her father at the Beijing airport, as they were prepared to travel to Indiana University. This was the last time she saw her father. In September of 2014, he was given an unprecedented life sentence based on the writings on his website.