Meeting of the delegations of Tajikistan and Saudi Arabia

On Sunday, January 15 of this year, the head of the Committee for Religious Affairs of Tajikistan met with the Minister of Islamic Affairs of Saudi Arabia.

Photo: Internet

According to the press service of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance of Saudi Arabia, Minister Abdulatif bin Abdulaziz received a delegation from Tajikistan led by the Chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs, Regulation of National Traditions, Celebrations, and Rituals under the Government of Tajikistan, Sulaymon Davlatzoda. The meeting took place in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.

It is reported that the meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Council of Ulema of Tajikistan and head of the Islamic Center Saidmukarram Abdulqadirzoda, the First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ulema Abdulbasir Saidzoda (known as Eshoni Abdulbasir), the head of the International Relations and Hajj Organization Department of the Committee for Religious Affairs Yusufov Abdugaffor, the Ambassador of Tajikistan in Riyadh Akram Karimi, and other embassy staff.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the situation of Muslims in Tajikistan, the prospects for cooperation between the two countries on religious issues, and the prevention of extremism.

Davlatzoda emphasized his country’s desire to utilize Saudi Arabia’s innovative experience in promoting the concepts of moderate Islam and countering extremism, as noted in the statement.

The Chairman of the Committee for Religious Affairs of Tajikistan praises the religious policy of Saudi Arabia, while in recent years, most citizens of Tajikistan who studied at universities and religious schools in Saudi Arabia have faced persecution and even imprisonment on charges of “Salafism” (except for Davlatzoda himself, who studied in Saudi Arabia). Several dozen students from Tajikistan have been forcibly returned to their homeland. Emomali Rahmon has repeatedly expressed serious concerns about citizens studying in foreign religious institutions who return home as “terrorists and extremists.”

It is reported that at this meeting, the Tajik delegation wanted to sign a memorandum of understanding between the two countries on Islamic issues; however, no documents were signed between the parties as a result of the meeting.

The press in Tajikistan, as well as the press services of the Committee for Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and other government agencies, did not report anything about this meeting.