Devoted Christians in several areas of Tajikistan faced uncertainty Tuesday, January 5, over the future of their churches after the former Soviet republic introduced a new religion law that the United States has criticized as highly restrictive.
The Religion Law, which came into forces on New Year’s Day, empowers the government to impose stricter control of religious groups in the former Soviet republic that tolerates only the state-approved version of Islam.
Under the legislation groups that choose not to register with authorities or fail to gain re-registration will become illegal. All Christian and other “religious organisations” need to provide the national government with written confirmation of their existence from their local administration.
Christians say however that local officials “have been slow” at issuing confirmation documents or have “deliberately” refused to do so for groups that they did not like.
Less than half of the religious organizations known to authorities have been registered, according to estimates by the Culture Ministry’s Head Department for Religious Affairs (HDRA).
TERRITORIAL RESTRICTIONS
HDRA officials have also imposed territorial restrictions on the activity of some non-Muslim groups, including Christian churches, during the re-registration process, according to Christians familiar with the procedures.
The measures cast doubts about the future of groups such as the Council of Churches Baptists which refuses on principle to register with the State. Last month, a Council congregation in Dushanbe was reportedly already banned by a local court.
The new law also imposes censorship on religious literature and restricts performing “rituals” to state-approved venues, making it even more difficult for evangelical missionaries and other Christians to openly evangelize.
In Tajikistan, religion has been a particularly thorny issue since President Imomali Rakhmon defeated an alliance of Islamists and liberals in a 1990s civil war.
Rakhmon has defended his decision to sign the controversial legislation and other measures. Worried about the resurgent Taliban militant group in neighboring Afghanistan, he says his main goal is to maintain political and economic stability in his impoverished homeland.
POLITICAL DISSENT
However countries across former Soviet Central Asia, including Tajikistan, have been criticized in the West for using the threat of religious extremism as an excuse to crack down on political dissent and religious groups outside state-sponsored Islam.
Protestant and Jewish communities are the main non-Muslim groups that have been targeted, according to rights activists. In 2008, Tajikistan even demolished the country’s only synagogue to make way for a presidential palace.
In a gesture apparently aimed at sweetening the decision, Khasan Asadullozoda, Rahmon’s brother-in-law, donated a new building to the Jewish community, community members said. “We are extremely grateful,” said chief rabbi Mikhail Abdurakhmanov at the time. “Now we have a place of worship again.”
The Religion Law seems part of Rahmon’s efforts to strengthen his power base and “legalise harsh policies already adopted” towards the population, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom said.
“The picture for religious freedom in Tajikistan is growing dim,” said the Commission, which advises the U.S. government on religious freedom in the world. “The passage of this problematic new law could severely limit religious freedoms in Tajikistan,” it added in a recent report.
Like elsewhere in Central Asia, most people in Tajikistan, a mountainous Persian-speaking nation, practice the Sunni branch of Islam, but there is a substantial Shi’ite minority.
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Sam – nice rant. Maybe you should take up your angst with a someone face to face rather than on forums. Some Christian out there must’ve really pissed you off personally. If he/she/they did, I apologize on their behalf. So much hate never does anyone any good.
Christians carved out nations from Islamic Countries for Christians like East Timor from Indonesia, South Sudan from Sudan, Israel for the Jews from Palestine.
Christians are the ones who forced their religion on the native American Indians, The whole of South America was forcibly converted and nowadays are converting millions of people in Africa and Asia by bribing them with money and also medicine, schools etc. They Christians are the ones who always went to war against non Christians – Against Buddhits in Korea, Vietnam, Against Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and also Christians were the ones who dropped Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan.
I am not mentioning the Millions the Christians killed other Christians in the 2nd World War. So SHUT UP
Hi Sam,
I understand what you are saying, but I am actually from Tajikistan and I know how it is hard to get a registration there. Tajikistan is a Muslim country although it is a republic. It would be no problem for a masque to have a needed number of people to register (this is a must for registration) but for a church might be a serious challenge to have needed number of official members to be registered. Besides, officials would not be welcoming church registration and try to create obstacles for them to get that registration. So, please, do not make fast judgment. the world is very different out there.
The heading of this news is wrong – It is a new law there to register the churches even mosques – what’s wrong with it – Whichever group did not want to register of fails to register will be closed. What is all this fuss about.
It is wrong and shameful for eutimes to have a heading like this – ‘Christians In Tajikistan Face Uncertain Future As New Law Forces Churches To Close’ which is not true.
You need to register your car, your business, your home, you property everywhere in the world – Church is big business when you look deep down even if it is not business why not register it with the govenment. What is the problem????
DEARLY BELOVED BRETHREN.THIS IS PASTOR MOSES MARTIN FROM ALL CHRISTIAN PENTECOSTAL MINISTRY,THIS IS THE YEAR OF JOY,I AM USING THIS GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR ME AND MY ENTIRE FAMILY.FOR MAKING ME TO HAVE TWIN BABIES AFTER FIFTEEN YEARS (15YRS} MARRIAGE.SO HELP ME TO THANK GOD FOR HIS MARVELOUS WORK UPON MY LIFE.I AM USING THIS $5,000,000 US { FIVE MILLION DOLLARS} TO SOW A SEED IN YOUR MINISTRY,BECAUSE I APPRECIATE WHAT GOD HAS DONE FOR ME.NOW,I AM IN PARAGUAY FOR SIX MONTHS SEMINAR,SO CONTACT MY CHURCH SECRETARY,HER NAME IS EVANGELIST PAUL.HER EMAIL ADDRESS IS {[email protected]} AND PRIVATE CELL TELEPHONE NUMBER +234 80 84447831 ASK HER TO PAY YOU THE MONEY,WHICH I KEPT FOR SOWING OF SEED.AND DO NOT FORGET TO SEND HER YOUR INFORMATION WHERE THE MONEY CAN BE PAID PLEASE ALWAYS WORSHIP GOD AND BELIEVE IN HIM, BECAUSE NOTHING IS TOO DIFFICULT FOR HIM TO DO.YOURS FAITHFULLY, PASTOR MOSES MARTIN
Fucking muslims. Parasites on the face of Earth