Once more Tajikistan comes on the radar screen. Who will be the next president of Tajikistan? How is the ban on the hijab helping the deradicalization of Tajik society? What is the role of the Chinese and Russian influence? And how is the relationship with the European Union coming along? 

Every year we face a plethora of Tajik issues, for example corruption and drug usage involving officials, now the ban on face veils, or the newest version a ban on black clothes. The desecration of the grave of one of leaders and the promotions of killer squad of the ministry of interiors. 

Despite the ICC dispatches a fact-finding mission on Tajikistan and reports back we need to ask the question what has changed, if anything? So far very little, to near nothing. Observers of the Tajik issue reports an uptick of Chinese involvement, or Russian press gang related issues to force Tajiks to army service in the Ukraine. 

The German foreign ministry is surprisingly mum about the situation in Tajikistan. The trust level is always low. Maybe the new “Iron Lady” will bring changes to the foreign relations debacle with Tajikistan. It’s about time. 

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Amsterdam, Berlin (16/11 – 10)

Diwali, a.k.a. Deepavali, is a Hindu religious celebration as well as a traditional festival, celebrated across India. Customarily known as “The Festival of Lights”, as it is festooned with arrays of colored illumination, it is held from October to November every year. Deepavali 2023 was celebrated on November 12, over a five-day period. 

Deepavali is the annual Hindu celebration of the triumph of light over darkness. Rarely will you visit a Hindu home during Deepavali without passing under a doorway highlighted by a beautiful, vividly-colored picture created out of flour, rice or flower petals. It can take the form of a geometric pattern, a floral shape or a more detailed representation of animals or nature. These artworks are created to usher deities into the home, inviting them to bless the household for the year ahead.

Hindus around the world have celebrated the Deepavali festival of lights for more than 2,500 years. In India, the five-day Deepavali festival is traditionally the grandest annual holiday.

According to Pankaj Jain, a Professor of Anthropology, Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Texas, the Deepavali celebration is linked to stories in religious texts; it is a mystery to divine as to which came first, or when Deepavali was first celebrated.

Many are the stories in India recounting the triumph of good over evil. In the northern part of the vast country, a common story associates Deepavali with King Rama, one of the many incarnations of Lord Vishnu. When an evil king in Lanka (which some people associate with Sri Lanka) kidnapped Sita, Rama’s wife, King Rama “raised an army of monkeys” to rescue her.

The army of simians “…built a bridge from India to Sri Lanka, and invaded Sri Lanka to free Sita – during a battle to kill the evil king,” Professor Jain recounts. When Rama and Sita return north, “…millions of lights were scattered throughout the city of Ayodhya, arrayed to guide them home, simply to welcome them.” Thus lighted lamps have long been one manifestation of how Hindus celebrate Deepavali.

In southern India, Deepavali is popularly associated with the story of the Hindu god Krishna, yet a different incarnation of Vishnu. He is known to have freed about 16,000 enslaved women from an evil king.

In the Gujarat area of western India, the New Year coincides with Deepavali (there are several “New Years” celebrated in India), and Deepavali is associated with prayers to the Goddess Lakshmi, for prosperity in the coming year. During this celebration, celebrants ritually exchange gifts and coins.

Meanwhile, neighbor religions like Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism appropriate Deepavali to mark important events in their history. Professor Jain pointed out how Deepavali is both a religious holiday and a national holiday in India.

According to Vasudha Narayanan, a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Florida, not all Indians celebrate Deepavali. Nevertheless, with some 80 percent of India practicing Hinduism—with Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs accounting for 2-3 percent more, Deepavali is celebrated by the majority of Indians.

Narayanan mentioned how fireworks have come to be a major part of Deepavali celebrations in the last century. During the Deepavali festival of lights, each family ignites their fireworks. Such celebrations have been taking place since before Deepavali.

Hijau Daun (533)

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In his book “Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday Massacre: Lessons for the International Community,” terrorism expert Dr. Rohan Gunaratna emphasizes the importance of de-radicalizing Islamic ideology to effectively combat Islamic terrorism. He identifies Wahhabism or Salafism as the root of Islamic terrorism, rapidly spreading worldwide through modern communication tools. Gunaratna warns that merely arresting perpetrators after attacks is insufficient; the focus should be on preventing radicalization in the first place.

The Easter Sunday bombings in April 2019, which claimed over 200 lives, were fuelled by extremist ideologies inspired by events in the Middle East and Islamic extremists in South India. Sri Lanka’s lack of a legal and policy framework to curb radicalization and promote moderation, tolerance, and coexistence contributes to the potential recurrence of such attacks.

To succeed in the de-radicalization process, Sri Lanka must develop a unified approach by avoiding confrontational politics and forging a consensus on national security. Combating religious exclusivism, propagated by Wahhabi and Salafist institutions, is crucial, and both state and community action is required. Gunaratna highlights that the ideology of hatred against other faiths must be dismantled to prevent future attacks.

Rohan Gunaratna says that Islamic terrorism is but an outgrowth of Wahhabism or Salafism, which is spreading rapidly across the world using modern tools of communication.

The Yahapalnaya regime (2015-2019) is criticized for systematically dismantling security and intelligence platforms, leading to vulnerabilities in national security. Political pressure from human rights groups hindered intelligence efforts, contributing to the Easter attacks. The lack of awareness of the security dimension among political leaders and the need for inter-agency collaboration is stressed.

Gunaratna opposes the recent decision by the Sri Lankan government to de-list five of the 11 banned Islamic organizations after lobbying from radical clerics and politicians. He argues that compromising national security for political gain undermines national unity and social cohesion, leading to ethnic and religious hatred and violence. Instead, leaders should integrate ethnic and religious leaders into mainstream national politics to promote harmony and coexistence.

Gunaratna recommends several measures, including screening and certifying clerics, blacklisting hate speakers, developing a comprehensive curriculum for clerics, and regular review of their teachings. He also advocates for a National Security Council, a National Security Act, and a Foreign Interference Act to safeguard the nation from external threats and divisive ideologies.

In conclusion, de-radicalizing Islamic ideology and strengthening intelligence and security capabilities are essential strategies to address the root causes of Islamic terrorism in Sri Lanka. Building social and religious harmony, fostering inter-agency collaboration, and political consensus on national security issues are crucial steps to prevent future attacks and ensure the country’s stability.

Source

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The assembly, reported the Archbishop, was also the occasion for an important testimony of Christian unity in Central Asia: “Providence wanted the Synod of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan to be held in the same days in Karaganda. We therefore organized a meeting in our cathedral, during which we were able to deepen our knowledge and pray together with the Orthodox Bishops. It was a blessing, a very strong and important moment. We can say that it is a historic moment for the history of the Church in Central Asia”.

The assembly of the Episcopal Conference of Central Asia is the second meeting of the body, which was officially created in September 2021 by a decree of the former Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (now Dicastery for Evangelization). Bishops from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Afghanistan participated in the meeting in Karaganda. The meeting, concluded Msgr. Mumbiela, “represents a precious opportunity to share and compare experiences and projects that everyone carries out in their own dioceses. It is a fruitful exchange in which we learn from each other, and we all follow the Master, as disciples of the Lord”.

Yesterday morning, Thursday April 20, the members of the Episcopal Conference also celebrated a Eucharist and a meeting at the Interdiocesan Major Seminary dedicated to “Sancta Maria Mater Ecclesiae” in Karaganda, which welcomes seminarians from Kazakhstan and other neighboring countries. “All the seminarians – he concludes – are confidently maturing their vocation, which brings us joy and gives us hope”. The structure, where 10 seminarians currently reside, celebrates 25 years of its foundation. In 1998 it was established as a diocesan seminary and then, in 2005, it became inter-diocesan and also international, welcoming students from all the countries of Central Asia.

Source : Fides

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Kazakhstan’s Muslims are preparing to mark the Holy Month of Ramadan, which will begin on March 23 and end on April 20, said the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan on March 14.  

Astana Grand Mosque. Photo credit: Aidos Ukibay/Twitter.

“This year, the month of Ramadan will begin on March 23. The night between April 17-18 will be the Night of Power or Laylat al-Qadr. Oraza Ait [Eid al-Fitr in Arabic] will be celebrated on April 21,” said the chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan, Supreme Mufti Nauryzbay kazhy Taganuly. 

Supreme Mufti noted the decision was made after consulting with the muftis of the Central Asian countries and the scientists responsible for the sphere of the fatwa. 

This year, the pitir sadaqah (charity donation) amount is 535 tenge (US$1.15). The donation sum was determined by calculating the cost of two kilograms of flour in the country. 

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is considered the holiest month of spiritual renewal and purification by Muslims worldwide. It is a time of fasting, prayer, and reflection during which believers abstain from food, drink, and other physical needs during the daylight hours. 

Muslims deepen their spirituality and strengthen their connection with God, and engage in acts of kindness and charity toward those in need.

Ramadan is a time of forgiveness and mercy, and it is believed that good deeds performed during this month are more rewarded than at any other time. The fasting begins at dawn and ends at sunset with a meal called iftar. Muslims also read the Quran (the Holy book) and attend special prayers in mosques. 

The end of Ramadan is marked by the celebration of Oraza Ait (Eid al-Fitr), a festival that involves celebration and gift-giving among family and friends. People give thanks for the blessings they have received during Ramadan. It starts on April 21, the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month in the Islamic calendar.  

Source : Astana Times

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At least two Ismaili home owners in Mountainous Badakhshan were fined one month’s average wage each for hosting prayers in their homes. The regime banned such meetings in late 2022.

Officials told elders on 14 January in Khorugh not to allow prayers in homes, that local people must remove portraits of Ismaili spiritual leader the Aga Khan, and that study at the London-based Institute of Ismaili Studies is no longer allowed. The authorities banned voluntary lessons for children based on a course from the Aga Khan Foundation.

Local administrations in the Mountainous Badakhshan Region in south-eastern Tajikistan have issued at least two summary fines on Ismaili Muslims in 2023 to punish hosting prayers in homes. The home owners were fined about one month’s average wage each. Officials banned Ismaili prayers in homes in late 2022 amid a security crackdown in the region.

Officials told village elders at a 14 January 2023 meeting in the regional capital Khorugh not to allow prayers in homes and warned that those who take part would be fined. The elders were instructed to pass on this message to local people (see below).

“People met outside the elders’ homes to hear the news and many were crying,” an Ismaili told Forum 18. “But people are too afraid to protest. They can only pray at home on their own.” Older people said it was too difficult for them to reach the only place in Mountainous Badakhshan where Ismailis can still meet for worship – their centre in Khorugh (see below).

The Ismaili branch of Shia Islam in Tajikistan is mainly found in Mountainous Badakhshan, and the community worldwide is led by the Aga Khan, a direct descendent of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Ismaili Muslims meet for worship not in mosques, but in centres (which also host educational and cultural events) or homes. The two Ismaili centres in Tajikistan – in Khorugh and in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe – remain open, but only for prayers. Officials have banned the centres from conducting any educational or cultural activities (see below).

At the January meeting, officials also insisted that local people must remove portraits of the Ismaili spiritual leader, the Aga Khan, which hang in places of honour in homes. Officials had earlier complained of such portraits in the centre in Dushanbe. The Aga Khan has not been allowed to visit Tajikistan since 2012 – the regime rejected his attempt to visit in 2017 during his Diamond Jubilee visits to Ismaili communities in more than 10 countries (see below).

Officials also said that young Ismailis would no longer be allowed to travel to Britain for education at the Institute of Ismaili Studies. The regime has long tried to prevent people of any faith from travelling abroad for religious education (see below).

In late January 2023, the authorities in Mountainous Badakhshan Region banned voluntary lessons for secondary-school age children based on a course book published by the Aga Khan Foundation. The secret police have begun seizing copies of the Tajik-language set of course books, “Ethics and Knowledge” (see below).

The spokesperson for the Education and Science Ministry in Dushanbe told Forum 18 it had “no information” about any ban in Mountainous Badakhshan on the Ethics and Knowledge course. “We have not banned anything,” he insisted (see below).

Officials at the Mountainous Badakhshan Administration put the phone down as soon as Forum 18 introduced itself (see below).

No officials of the regime’s State Committee for Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions, Ceremonies and Rituals (SCRA) would discuss anything with Forum 18. An official of the regime’s Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office in Dushanbe said two of its officials were away on a work trip. The telephone of the Ombudsperson’s Office representative in Khorugh went unanswered (see below).

On 3 August 2022, 8 days after the NSC secret police arrested Muzaffar Davlatmirov, a 59-year-old Ismaili religious leader, Badakhshan Regional Court jailed him for 5 years for alleged “public calls for extremist activity”. “Davlatmirov is not an extremist, and did not call for ‘extremist’ activity,” a local person who knows him told Forum 18. Prisoner of conscience Davlatmirov is serving his sentence at the Labour Camp YaS 3/6 in Yavan in the south-western Khatlon Region (see forthcoming F18News article).

The Mountainous Badakhshan Autonomous Region (also known from Russian as Gorno-Badakhshan) has seen increasing repression by the regime since the security forces killed a local resident in November 2021. As Bruce Pannier has observed on bne IntelliNews, the region has a history of independence from the regime and the Ismaili Aga Khan Foundation has played a large role in the region’s development.

Meanwhile, Jehovah’s Witness prisoner of conscience Shamil Khakimov has again been denied urgently needed medical treatment in a specialised hospital. On 15 February, Sugd Regional Court rejected the latest appeal from the 72-year-old prisoner of conscience to be transferred from Strict Regime Prison YaS 3/5 to a hospital. The repeated denial of medical treatment is against multiple statements by the UN Human Rights Committee, and the United Nations (UN) Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (known as the Mandela Rules). Khakimov is due for release on 16 May 2023, but there are fears he may die before then. He is among at least 7 prisoners of conscience known to be jailed for exercising freedom of religion or belief, the others being Muslim (see forthcoming F18News article).

An Imam who was one of the founders of the banned Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP), Zubaydullo Rozik, was placed in the prison punishment cell for providing religious education to other prisoners, which is illegal in Tajik prisons (see forthcoming F18News article).

Stopping Ismailis gathering in homes for prayers

The Ismaili branch of Shia Islam in Tajikistan is mainly found in Mountainous Badakhshan in south-eastern Tajikistan, and are worldwide led by the Aga Khan, a direct descendent of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Ismaili centres are very important for the community, fulfilling a wide range of spiritual, educational, and cultural purposes.

Ismaili Muslims meet for worship in centres (which also host educational and cultural events), prayer houses, or private homes. As the regime violently suppressed peaceful protests in Mountainous Badakhshan from May 2022 onwards, it also closed down all Ismaili prayer houses in the region and the Ismaili Education Centre (opened in 2018) in Khorugh.

The Aga Khan Foundation in the capital Dushanbe told Forum 18 in September 2022 that prayer houses in the region have been “unofficially closed” since May 2022, but they have been given no official notification or reason given – including from the State Committee for Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions, Ceremonies and Rituals (SCRA) – for the closures or how long they will last. However, Ismaili education centres in Khujand in the northern Sugd Region, and in the capital Dushanbe are now open for prayers only. The regime has banned both centres from conducting any educational or cultural activities, which are very important for Ismaili Muslims (see below).

SCRA Deputy Chair Farrukhullo Olimzoda, Deputy Chair Khuseyn Shokirov, the Deputy Head of the section responsible for work with religious communities Saidakhmad Saidjafarov, and a Supreme Court official all refused in September and October 2022 to discuss the closures with Forum 18. Forum 18 also wrote to Supreme Court Chair Shermuhammad Shohiyon, asking what evidence-based legal grounds there are to close the Ismaili prayer houses and Education Centre. Forum 18 received no reply by 21 February 2023.

Mountainous Badakhshan regional government spokesperson Gholib Niyatbekov claimed to Forum 18 in October 2022 that no Ismaili prayer houses were closed in the region, and that the Education Centre in Khorugh was also not closed in May. “You have totally wrong information,” he claimed.

Warnings, fines follow regime ban on prayer meetings in homes

Ismailis in villages in Mountainous Badakshan used to meet in larger homes by rotation for weekly prayers on Thursday evenings or in the daytime on Fridays. In some places prayer meetings were held in homes every day, people from the region told Forum 18.

However, in late 2022 the regime banned Ismaili prayers in homes in the region. “Following the ban, officials went from door to door and warned people,” an Ismaili who asked not to be identified for fear of state reprisals told Forum 18 on 16 February 2023. “Grandparents cried, but the officials warned that anyone who complained would be imprisoned.”

Regime officials told village elders at a 14 January 2023 meeting in the regional capital Khorugh not to allow prayers in homes and warned that those who take part would be fined. The elders were instructed to pass on this message to local people.

“People met outside the elders’ homes to hear the news and many were crying,” the Ismaili told Forum 18. “But people are too afraid to protest. They can only pray at home on their own.” Older people said it was too difficult for them to reach the one place in Badakhshan where Ismailis can still meet for worship – their centre in Khorugh.

Local regime officials fined at least two Ismaili Muslims in 2023 to punish them for hosting Ismaili prayer meetings in their homes. Officials in Roshtkala fined one home owner 600 Somonis (about one month’s local average wage for those in formal work) in January 2023, and another home owner in Rushon was fined in February, the Ismaili told Forum 18. It appears the fines were issued without any court hearing, the Ismaili added.

No one at the regime’s State Committee for Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions, Ceremonies and Rituals (SCRA) would discuss anything with Forum 18 between 14 and 21 February. The men who answered the phones on 14 February of First Deputy Chair Amirbeg Begnazarov and of the head of the International Department Abdugaffor Yusufov put the phone down as soon as Forum 18 introduced itself. Subsequent calls to other SCRA officials went unanswered.

The man who answered the phone of Mountainous Badakhshan regional government spokesperson Gholib Niyatbekov on 13 February claimed to Forum 18 that it was a wrong number.

Officials at the Mountainous Badakshan Administration put the phone down as soon as Forum 18 introduced itself on 21 February. The telephone of the regional representation of the regime’s Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office in Khorugh went unanswered the same day.

An official of the regime’s Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office in the capital Dushanbe refused to discuss the ban on praying in homes in Mountainous Badakshan on 21 February. He said Mukim Ashurov (Head of its Civil and Political Rights Department) and Rachabmo Habibulozoda (Head of its Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Department) were both away on a work trip.

(The Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions accredits Tajikistan’s Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office only with B status because of its failure to accord with the Paris Principles, which require such institutions to be independent of government.)

Regime bans Aga Khan portraits in homes

At the 14 January meeting in Khorugh, officials insisted to local elders that people must remove portraits of the Ismaili spiritual leader, the Aga Khan, which hang in places of honour in many homes. Elders were required to pass on such instructions to people in their communities. Officials instead handed out portraits of President Emomali Rahmon.

The regime’s hostility to the Ismaili community possibly stems from its suspicion that Ismailis respect the Aga Khan more than Rahmon, who has ruled the country since 1992 without facing a free and fair election. Regime officials formally refer to Rahmon as the “Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation”.

Regime officials had earlier complained of portraits of the Aga Khan in the Centre in Dushanbe. In 2019 the SCRA wrote to the Aga Khan Foundation and the Ismaili Education Centre in Dushanbe, stating: “We are concerned that colourful posters of Aga Khan around the buildings of prayer houses with slogans such as ‘Welcome Our Imam’, ‘Happy Diamond Anniversary’, ‘We Love Our Imam’ can be interpreted as a preference for the [Shia Muslim] Ismaili faith over the [state-controlled] Sunni faith, and for the Aga Khan over the Leader of the Nation [Emomali Rahmon].”

The Aga Khan first visited Badakhshan in May 1995 and tens of thousands of Ismailis travelled from all parts of Badakhshan to meet him. Many local Ismailis commemorate his first visit each 28 May. However, the regime has not allowed the Aga Khan to visit Tajikistan since April 2012. It rejected his attempt to visit in 2017 during his Diamond Jubilee tour of Ismaili communities which took him to more than 10 countries.

Regime bans studies at Ismaili Institute in London

At the 14 January 2023 meeting in Khorugh, officials also told the elders that young Ismailis would no longer be allowed to travel to Britain for education at the Institute of Ismaili Studies (IIS) in London. For Ismaili Muslims worldwide the IIS is one of their most important educational institutions and libraries. 

The regime has in recent years banned people of all beliefs from receiving religious education in Tajikistan and abroad.

Ismaili-based Ethics and Knowledge course banned from schools

Since the mid-2000s, teachers in Mountainous Badakhshan have taught an Ethics and Knowledge course tailored to Ismaili children. At first the classes were held in school on a voluntary basis after normal lessons had finished. The course used the Tajik-language books, “Ethics and Knowledge”, produced by Ismaili organisations.

The books were published in Tajik and distributed with the verbal approval of the Education and Science Ministry.

The illustrated books – which are aimed at children from the age of 7 to 14 – cover contemporary ethics, and the history of Islam and the Ismaili community.

Officials banned the teaching of the Ismaili-based Ethics and Knowledge course in schools in early 2021. Officials held a meeting at Badakhshan Administration on 2 February 2021, led by the then head of the region Yodgor Fayzov.

“With the passage of time,” the Badakhshan Administration noted the same day, “taking into account the prevalence of secular education in state educational institutions and the increase in the number of non-Ismaili children in schools of the region, especially in the city of Khorugh, lack of time, class hours and classrooms, and other religious problems of today’s world, the teaching of this lesson has been temporarily suspended.”

On 27 January 2021, an online petition had been launched protesting against the ban. It called for the state to give permission for lessons in the course to be conducted in Ismaili prayer houses in Badakhshan. It cited Article 8, Part 5 of the Religion Law, which states that religious education is allowed for children between the ages of 7 and 18 in non-school hours with the written permission of parents. However, this has not been a reality.

The petition also noted freedom of religion or belief guarantees in Tajikistan’s Constitution, and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities.

Ban on voluntary Ethics and Knowledge classes, books seized

However, teaching of the Ethics and Knowledge course continued beyond January 2021 in Mountainous Badakhshan outside the school curriculum, often in Ismaili prayer houses. This was done with only verbal permission, not written permission, exiled journalist Anora Sarkorova told Forum 18.

In late January 2023 officials halted teaching of the Ethics and Knowledge course in Mountainous Badakhshan, Sarkorova added. National Security Committee (NSC) secret police officers began seizing copies of “Ethics and Knowledge”, with 5,000 being seized in the regional capital Khorugh in the first few days of the campaign. The NSC secret police has demanded that others who have copies of the book hand them in, Sarkorova noted.

In Khorugh, the NSC secret police has summoned teachers daily for interrogation and threatened them with criminal prosecution, Pamir Daily News noted on 8 February.

“These books are completely dedicated to the education of the individual in a contemporary spirit,” one Khorugh teacher told Pamir Daily News, “but with the knowledge of religious and cultural values. There is in them no religious fanaticism which could be banned in law. Now we teachers, who taught children on a voluntary basis, are being accused of breaking the law. At this rate, not a single teacher will be left here.”

Novruz, the spokesperson for the Education and Science Ministry in Dushanbe, insisted that his ministry had not banned such courses and has “no information” about any such ban. “The Education Ministry publishes textbooks and teachers teach from these textbooks,” he told Forum 18 on 21 February. “We didn’t ban anything.”

The Ismaili Tariqahand Religious Education Board (ITREB), which worked with the Education and Science Ministry on the Ethics and Knowledge course, was reportedly closed down in early February, Pamir Daily News said.

Dushanbe bookshops reopen in 2023 – with less religious literature

On 2 September 2022, the State Committee for Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions, Ceremonies and Rituals (SCRA) announced that it had in late August and early September closed all Islamic bookshops in Dushanbe as well as some publishers which printed Islamic literature. SCRA Deputy Chair Farrukhullo Olimzoda, Deputy Chair Khuseyn Shokirov, and the Deputy Head of the section responsible for work with religious communities Saidakhmad Saidjafarov all refused to discuss the closures with Forum 18.

SCRA Deputy Chair Abdurakhmon Vahhobzoda told journalists on 3 February 2023 that the Dushanbe religious bookshops had been closed five months earlier because of the illegal import and sale of religious books, their lack of an “expert” analysis from the SCRA, as well as alleged complaints from authors that the books had been pirated.

SCRA Chair Sulaymon Davlatzoda added that although the SCRA had given permission to some publishers to produce no more than 5,000 copies of a particular book, “in fact they published a lot more of them”. (When the SCRA gives permission to publish or import a religious book, it specifies the number of copies for which it is giving permission.)

In early 2023 the regime allowed Islamic bookshops next to Dushanbe’s Central Mosque to reopen, but with a restricted supply of religious books. “In bookshops the amount of religious literature has diminished, but now a wide range of namaz prayer mats and beads have appeared there,” Radio Free Europe’s Tajik Service noted on 3 February.

“We were allowed to reopen our shops,” one of the shop owners told Radio Free Europe, “but the quantity of religious literature is sharply limited. Buyers are interested in the Holy Koran and other religious books, but when they find out that they are not on sale, they get upset and go home with empty hands.”

Source : Eurasia

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Many people have crossed Kazakhstan’s land over time, each bringing their culture. Their heritage is still present in the country today, where diverse cultures and religions coexist in harmony, respect and tolerance. Religious buildings, from mosques to cathedrals and temples, are among the reasons many tourists choose to visit Kazakhstan.

A tour of what it means to be Christian in multicultural Kazakhstan

1. Kizhel Kensh Palace, Karkaraly National Park

In the Kent Mountains of the Karkaraly National Park lies the Kizhel Kensh Palace – the ruins of a Buddhist temple form the 17^th century. It is located in a small valley, almost completely surrounded by rocky mountains, and its name means red ore or red city. The monastery was built by the Dzungars and it was inhabited for almost 50 years, although whether the people left the area voluntarily or not is still a mystery for historians.

The temple can only be reached by car and a prior special permission is needed to visit it.

2. Kunanbaev mosque, Karkaraly

The Kunanbaev Mosque is a wooden mosque built in Karkaraly in 1851 by the father of the poet Abai Kunanbayuly, Kunanbay Uskenbayev, who served as the area’s governor from 1849 to 1853. It is one of the oldest mosques Kazakhstan and has a somewhat tumultuous history. Its minaret was destroyed in 1920, it was left to decay, then the building was used as a school and warehouse until it was finally restored in 1980 and rebecame a place of worship.

3. Underground Mosques, Mangystau

A complex of underground mosques dating back to the 18^th century can be found in the region of Mangystau. The largest of the mosques is the Shopan Ata, carved out of rock, about 60 km from the town of Jana-Ozen. Other impressive underground mosques in Mangystau are Sultan Epe, Shakpak Ata, Beket Ata and Masat Ata.

4. Ascension Cathedral, Almaty

The Cathedral of the Temple of Holy Ascension (1904-1907) in Almaty, also known as Zenkov’s Cathedral (in honour its architect Andrei Zenkov), is located in the Park of 28 Panfilov Guardsmen. It is the main Russian Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan and is included in the list of historical and cultural monuments of the country. The church brings together local and Russian architecture as both Kazakh and Russian people participated in its construction.

The cathedral is one of the tallest wooden buildings in the world and the tallest Orthodox wooden church. The highest point at the upper end of the cross on the main dome is 39.64 metres above ground, while the top of the bell tower is 46 metres above ground.

5. Jarkent Mosque, Panfilov district, Almaty region

The Jarkent Mosque was built in 1895, designed the Chinese architect Hon Piquet and displaying an incredibly vivid blend of Chinese and Central Asian style. A legend says that this is the most beautiful work the architect ever did and, out of jealousy, when he returned to China, the Emperor at that time had him killed. The mosque is one of the few buildings of Hon Piquet that passed the test of time and is under state protection since 1982 as a monument of architecture and history of republican significance.

6. Astana Grand Mosque

The Astana Grand Mosque is the largest mosque in Central Asia. Inaugurated in August by President Nursultan Nazarbayev, at the 24^th anniversary of the Kazakh capital foundation, the mosque’s main dome is also the largest of its kind in the world.

Source : Travel Tomorrow

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Orthodox Christians, one of the largest religious communities in the world, have existed in Kazakhstan for several hundred years over the periods of Islamic dominance, Tsarist Russia, the Soviet period, and the independence that followed. They continue to live in harmony with other religious communities in Kazakhstan that respect the principle of equality of all nations and religions. In the interview with The Astana Times, Archpriest Dmitriy Baidek, ecclesiarch at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God, spoke about the history and holy sites of the Christian Community, and the importance of the upcoming Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.

Christians in independent Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is home to some 3,834 religious associations deriving from 18 religions and confessions. Among them, Orthodox Christians are the second-largest religious group in Kazakhstan after Muslims with 345 registered organizations which constitute around nine percent, according to the Committee on Religious Affairs of the Kazakh Ministry of Information and Social Development.

Being secular country, Kazakhstan nevertheless celebrates Orthodox Christmas along with Muslim Kurban Ait (Eid al-Adha) as official days off for all citizens.

Baidek explained that the church has always been open to people. It is “supranational” as Baidek puts it.

Indeed, in the letter of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians he says “here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all,” emphasizing the unity and equality of all believers in Christ.

Describing the community of Christians in Kazakhstan, Baidek said that“the vector is shifting away from the exclusively Slavic population to a more diverse population of Christians that includes more ethnicities.”

History of Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan

The rise of Christian communities in the midst of a predominantly Muslim population is associated with the settlement of Russian Cossacks on the southern lands of Kazakhstan that were annexed to the Russian Empire around the 17th century.

On the territory of modern Kazakhstan, Russian Cossacks founded the first fortresses and built the first Orthodox churches along with them.

Last year Orthodox Christians in Kazakhstan celebrated the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Turkestan diocese, the first in the region. In 1871, an imperial decree approved the decision to open the Turkestan diocese and in the same year Archbishop Sophoniya Sokolsky, known for his active temper and enthusiasm, was appointed the first bishop of the Turkestan diocese.

“In his biography there are words that say he was like a young man running around the diocese preaching, doing works of mercy, opening new churches, even though he was already well into his seventies,” said Baidek. “His energy, his temperament was that of a young man. Those were such unique people, and since then Christianity, namely Orthodox Christianity, has been strengthened in those parts of Kazakhstan.”

Although the Orthodox eparchy was established in the 19th century, communities preaching the Holy Trinity have lived in the territory of Kazakhstan for many centuries back.

“There are monuments that indicate that there were settlements that professed Christianity back in the ninth and in the 13th centuries. For the most part, they were communities worshiping Nestorianism, which was rejected by the Orthodox church. Nevertheless, they were the people who revered the Trinity, the Christ, and the Holy Spirit,” said Archpriest Baidek.

The Soviet period was a period of hardship for representatives of all religions in Kazakhstan, said Baidek and the Orthodox Christians were no exception. Many in the Christian world felt humiliated by a colonial system that undermined their beliefs and religion. “Bolsheviks certainly used our land rather barbarically. In the 20s and 30s, the Bolsheviks destroyed many churches,” he said.

Kazakhstan has also been a place of exile for many people. Karlag, one of the largest labor camps in the Karagandy Region, was full of people who have been at the forefront of some of the great struggles for liberty.

Yet even amid the hardships, there were people who had not lost their faith in a better future. One of them was Sebastian, the elder of Karagandy, who had spent six years in Karlag camp. After he was released in 1939, he decided to stay and selflessly preach Christianity in the region which largely contributed to the formation of a religious community.

Despite the atheist agenda of the Soviet era, many Christians were able to preserve their religious traditions. Upon becoming an independent state, Kazakhstan gave an opportunity for many people to express their religion freely. 

“Independence caused the rising interest in religion, intellectual interest. People began to read, think, and pay attention to matters of spirituality. They wanted to answer the questions of ‘why’ and ‘for what.’ This kind of rise at least in Christianity was during the 1990s and in the early 2000s, including among the young population,” said Baidek.

Orthodox Christian sacred sites in Kazakhstan

What makes one place holy? According to Baidek, people make a place holy in honor and remembrance of the saints whose blood was shed there.

When, in 1995, Patriarch Alexy II visited the Karagandy Region, he called the land of Kazakhstan “the antimins (a piece of silk or linen cloth for liturgy rite) stretched out under the open sky” referring to the holiness of the whole Kazakh land, where many pastors, monks, and laity have been exiled from all parts of the Soviet Union. Many of them ended their lives in Kazakhstan.

There are many holy sites in East Kazakhstan, Karagandy, and around the Zhetisu Regions. Of particular interest is the Aksai Seraphim-Feognost skit, which is located on the territory of Ile-Alatau national park near Almaty at an altitude of 1,850 meters above sea level.

More than 100 years ago the place was occupied by monks-priests Seraphim Bogoslovsky and Feognost Pivovarov, who renounced a comfortable life to serve God in solitude among the mountains.

But the two saints could not enjoy their peaceful solitude for long, for in 1921, the Red army soldiers came. The monks received them with gratitude, fed them, and gave them tea, however, the soldiers then brutally murdered the monks the next morning.

In 2000, Seraphim and Feognost were consecrated to the list of saints for general church veneration. Many people visit the skit every year to honor the martyrs.

The importance of the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions

As an Orthodox Church representative, Archpriest Baidek said that Kazakhstan sets a good example for the region by declaring its peacekeeping mission through the seventh Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions that it will host on Sept. 14-15. 

“The uniqueness of this congress is that it has been raised to a level where spiritual leaders and leaders of traditional religions are brought together directly by the state, and therefore the dialogue is conducted on a high level. And any dialogue always serves the good,” said Baidek.

“The human mind is built so that we are afraid of what we do not know, what we do not understand. Our fears, our fantasies, are born of ignorance. When we get to know a person better, they cease to be scary to us. They may be interesting, they may not be interesting, but they are not scary,” he added, highlighting the importance of bringing together the representatives of diverse religions.

Source : Astana Times

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