Eurasianet accused Tajikistan of Islamophobia

The news site Eurasianet reports in its article that “authorities are intensifying the war against Ismailis and other Muslims” in Tajikistan.

Photo: Internet

The publication of the article by Eurasianet coincided with Tajikistan’s Independence Day. It notes that the authorities are implementing a policy of repression and restrictions on religious freedoms in Tajikistan, and accuses the country’s authorities of Islamophobia.

According to the authors, despite the fact that over 95% of Tajikistan’s population identify as Muslims, the authorities in Tajikistan closed two important religious institutions in the capital within a week: the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board in Tajikistan and a bookstore selling Islamic literature.

It is noted that young people under 18 are prohibited from attending mosques in Tajikistan, and young people under 35 are banned from performing the Hajj. It is also forbidden to enter government institutions wearing hijabs or with beards.

The authors of the article emphasize that in recent weeks, Tajik authorities have intensified pressure on Ismailis, most of whom are from the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region.

“Three years ago, the State Committee for Religious Affairs sent a letter to the Ismaili Tariqah and Religious Education Board expressing dissatisfaction that the portrait of the community’s spiritual leader, Aga Khan, was hung higher than the portrait of President Emomali Rahmon. In the eyes of the Tajik government, no one besides Rahmon holds a revered status,” the article notes.

However, official intolerance towards religion extends not only to Ismailis. The government has taken a hostile stance towards Islamic education in general. Also, ten years ago, all religious institutions in the country were closed under the pretext that the Ministry of Education was developing a religious curriculum. These six madrasas have not reopened.