Authorities concerned about the “radicalization” of Tajik youth

The authorities of Tajikistan warn that the number of young people joining extremist and terrorist organizations is increasing.

According to the English-language service of Radio Liberty, in the Khatlon region, 1,800 civil servants and law enforcement officers conducted door-to-door visits to residents to prevent young people from joining extremist and terrorist organizations.

The authorities of this region claim that there are many young people involved in banned movements, which raises concerns among officials. For this purpose, the authorities are conducting “educational work” and warning about the dangers of young people joining banned organizations using the internet.

A resident of the region told Radio Ozodi journalists that government representatives urged residents to warn their relatives in Russia not to trust any groups and not to maintain contact with them.

The authorities stated that most Tajik citizens who joined extremist groups, such as the Islamic State (IS), were radicalized in Russia. They became acquainted with members of banned organizations online and joined them.

“The information received from law enforcement agencies is alarming. The number of young people who have joined religious extremist groups in our region is very high,” said the chairman of the Khatlon region, Davlatali Said, to journalists in August. He did not provide exact figures.

According to him, in order to prevent young people from joining extremist groups, special working groups are being prepared from among representatives of government bodies, law enforcement agencies, local council members, teachers, and doctors, and special courses will be organized for them so they can conduct educational work among the population.

In the past year, several countries, including Iran, Russia, Turkey, and Afghanistan, have experienced terrorist attacks, with Tajik citizens being the main suspects.

Recently, the Taliban also released several videos of interrogations of Tajik young men who admitted to being IS militants and joining the group via the internet.

However, critics of Rahmon’s government note that the harsh stance of Tajikistan’s authorities towards Islamic values, the forced removal of hijabs from women, and the shaving of beards from men are causing growing discontent among the population, which may lead to more young people joining extremist and terrorist groups.