Authorities declared the message “Juma Mubarak” a crime

The authorities of Tajikistan have declared the sending of congratulatory messages “Juma Mubarak” a criminal offense. This could result in a fine or even imprisonment.

On September 19 of this year, several voice messages from residents of the Khatlon region warning their relatives not to send congratulatory messages regarding Friday—a blessed day for Muslims—were obtained by the editorial team of Azda TV, as it is now possible to end up behind bars for this.

According to one of the voice messages, law enforcement and security officials in the Khatlon region are going door to door, warning citizens that sending congratulatory messages “Juma Mubarak,” messages with salutations praising the Prophet Muhammad, and other Islamic greetings on Fridays is prohibited.

“Today they announced, passed a law, they brought us papers and we signed that sending messages with the text “Juma Said Mubarak” and other Islamic greetings is prohibited. Do not send these messages anymore, otherwise we will have problems,” the message states.

So far, the editorial team of Azda TV has not been able to confirm this information from other sources, and the investigation into the matter is ongoing. If this information is accurate, it is unclear under which law sending a congratulatory message could be considered a crime, and under which article the sender of such a message could face up to two years of imprisonment.

The editorial team of Azda TV asks viewers and readers who have any information or witnesses who have been threatened by law enforcement and security officials to send information to the phone number +48571608008 (WhatsApp). Anonymity is guaranteed.