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Tajikistan -- mapTajikistan -- mapTajikistan -- mapTajikistan -- mapTajikistan -- map

 

The Low Place of Women in Islam

Tajikistan: Top Islamic Body Bans Women From Attending Mosque Services


Tajikistan -- minaretTajikistan -- minaret
The Khalifa Abdulkarim Mosque in Turkobod,
a village some 30 kilometers east of Dushanbe (RFE/RL)
By Iskander Aliev and Daisy Sindelar

Tajikistan is often considered the most liberal of the Central Asian states when it comes to matters of Islamic tradition. But that might be changing. A recent decision by the country's top Islamic body forbids women from going to mosques -- a practice the group says promotes "seduction and mixing" between the sexes. The ruling has upset many Muslims who say the decision violates both Islamic tradition and the Tajik Constitution.

Turkobad, Tajikistan; 20 October 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Outside the Khalifa Abdulkarim mosque in Turkobod, a village some 30 kilometers east of Dushanbe, women are gathering for Friday prayers.

Among them is Zebunniso Qahhorzod, a determined-looking woman in her 40s who traveled from the capital to attend.

Her husband is a migrant worker in Russia, and she is left alone to care for their four children. It is a common plight in Tajikistan, and Qahhorzod says attending mosque is one way she and other women find solace and strength.

"We go to mosque not only for prayers. As women and parents, we have problems in our everyday lives, as well as in raising our children. We are both mother and father to our children. So we come here to find answers to our questions: How do we raise our children? How should we act with our husbands? What way of living is better for us? We come to find answers to these questions," Qahhorzod says.

But this lifeline might be under threat. In August, the Tajik Council of Ulema, or scholars -- the country's highest Muslim body -- issued a fatwa prohibiting women from attending mosque, saying they are a distraction to male worshippers.
Tajikistan -- women
Tajik women heading to Friday prayers at the Turkobod mosque, in violation of a fatwa (RFE/RL)


The decision came after a monthlong debate that saw several council members leave in disgust over what they saw as a conservative clampdown on personal religious rights.

But in the end, the ruling stood: Muslim women should perform prayers at home -- close to their children and housework -- rather than at mosques.
Tajikistan is the only Central Asian country whose government has incorporated an Islamic party into the mainstream.

Tajikistan -- women


Council member Hoji Qurbon Sharifzoda defends the ruling: "The decision that was made by the Council of Ulema and the mufti is not something new. It comes from the Hadith [the sayings of Prophet Muhammad] and the rules of our [Sunni] sect. Women should understand that it would be more acceptable, according to our religious rules, if they prayed at home instead of wasting a long journey to the mosque."

Khalifa Abdulkarim is one of the few mosques to openly defy the ban, although police regularly gather outside the building on Fridays to try to persuade the women to return home.

Unlike some mosques in Tajikistan, the Turkobod mosque provides separate floors for men and women, preventing the close mingling of the sexes that some of the Islamic scholars find so troubling.
Tajikistan -- imam
Imam-Khatib Ishan Nuriddin, who continues to allow women to enter his mosque (RFE/RL)


Hoji Amir Abbos Bobonazar is an aide to the imam-khatib of the Turkobod mosque, Ishan Nuriddin. He notes that the Tajik Constitution guarantees men and women equal rights to prayer, and adds that the ruling could have a damning effect on society in the future: "Women come to mosque not only for once-a-week Friday prayer. They come here because the mosque is a place where you learn moral and ethnical values. The whole society would benefit from this, because women bear responsibilities for raising our future generation. We allow women to go to casinos, discos and all kinds of inappropriate places, but we don't allow them to go to mosque? I can't understand the logic of such a decision."

Tajikistan -- imamTajikistan is the only Central Asian country whose government has incorporated an Islamic party -- the United Tajik Opposition (UTO) -- into the mainstream.

Some observers say sensitivity over issues of religion and politics means debates like the one over the ban on women can be extremely divisive.

Felix Corley is the editor of the Forum 18 news service, an agency covering religious freedom in the former Soviet republics and Eastern Europe.

"It's interesting," Corley says. "This decision that was taken by the Council of Ulema, the Islamic scholars, was pretty evenly divided on whether to allow women to attend and pray at mosques or not. And interestingly enough, the decision was quite controversial and was rejected by the Islamic Revival Party, one of the former main opposition guerrilla parties. They believe this decision was against the constitution and laws of Tajikistan, which declare all citizens are equal. And they, in fact, asked the state to take legal measures against this decision."
Tajikistan -- council

Tajikistan -- council
The headquarters of the Council of Islamic Scholars, in Dushanbe. That body issued the fatwa banning women from attending mosque services (RFE/RL)




Officials in the Islamic Revival Party -- a chief component of the UTO -- accuse conservative members of the Council of Ulema of "medieval" thinking that will eventually turn women and younger Muslims away from traditional Islam and toward groups like Hizb ut-Tahrir, blamed by Central Asian governments for a recent upsurge in Islamist violence.

But defenders of the ruling say it does nothing to harm a woman's ability to practice her religion.

Ruqia Qurbonova is the head of the government's committee on women's issues, which backed the council's decision.

"In Tajikistan, we are all offered every opportunity," Qurbonova says. "Nobody says that you shouldn't fast or pray. But we think a woman should do that at home."

Copyright (c) 2004/05. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

 

 

 

 

 

Tajikistan: President's Remarks On Women And Mosques Draw Sharp Reactions

Tajikistan -- Rakhmonov, Imomali, president

Tajik President Imomali Rakhmonov has backed an edict from the country's Muslim spiritual council that bans women from attending mosque. In an address to the nation on 6 November, Rakhmonov laid out his arguments for supporting the ban, but not everyone is certain of his motives.

Prague, November 11/ 04 (RFE/RL) -- President Rakhmonov's recent remarks on women and Islam are drawing sharp reactions.

In an address to the nation marking the 10th anniversary of the Tajik Constitution, Rakhmonov reminded women that the Council of Ulema -- the country's highest Muslim body -- has forbidden women from attending mosques, calling them a distraction.

Farrukh Umarov is an expert on Islam at the Center for Strategic Research in Dushanbe. He said he believes Rakhmonov's reinforcement of the August ban is correct: "The position of the president on this subject is positive. He just wants to prevent any religious conflicts."

Umarov said he believes there are no situations in which women should attend mosque and mix with men.
While Rakhmonov's warnings were likely intended as a general admonition about the misuse of religion, he also said racial hatred and terrorism are being taught in some mosques. He indicated that he believes women are increasingly vulnerable to these radical teachings.


Rakhmonov said as much in his speech. He said religion helped fuel tensions during the country's civil war from 1992 to 1997. "Some religious figures and former politicians," Rakhmonov said, "didn't draw the right conclusions from the lessons of the recent civil conflict in the republic."

Hikmatullo Saifullozoda said he disagrees. He is the head of the central office for Tajikistan's Islamic Renaissance Party (IRP), which has been attracting an increasing number of women into its ranks.

Saifullozoda hinted that the prohibition against women in mosques is an attempt to discredit his party: "The head of state is hoisting unresolved problems onto the shoulders of others, and I see this as preparation for the [February 2005 parliamentary] elections."

The IRP is legal in Tajikistan now but was banned during the civil war. During the war, the IRP was the backbone of the United Tajik Opposition, which grouped Islamic fighters with democratic and regional organizations.

The war was a stalemate, and Iran and Russia eventually helped broker a peace agreement that legalized banned parties -- among them the IRP -- and gave the opposition 30 percent of the positions in the government. But that arrangement has since proven problematic.

Tajik politician and lawyer Shokirjon Hakimov said Rakhmonov's comments appear to be part of unresolved issues that date back to the civil war: "The dispute is between the government and the Islamic party and some clergy. It is interference in the activities of religious organizations."

While Rakhmonov's warnings were likely intended as a general admonition about the misuse of religion, he also said racial hatred and terrorism are being taught in some mosques. He indicated that he believes women are increasingly vulnerable to these radical teachings.

But Hikmatullo Baratov, a teacher at Tajikistan's Imam Termezi Islamic University, said he has not heard of any such problems: "To what extent it is true, we do not know. We have not heard that there are some [radical] activities in the mosques."

During his speech, Rakhmonov also called on women to raise their children properly to help ensure the country's future.

"We can't hide the fact that we are not allowing our children to learn a profession, to study technology. We can't build the Rogun hydro-energy plant because of this," Rakhmonov said. "For three years, we have been negotiating the purchase of three Boeing [aircraft], but we can't buy them because we have no pilots."

The Tajik president added that there are plenty of young people studying religion, and that some are regrettably concentrating on more extreme forms of Islam.

Rakhmonov appealed to the "mothers and sisters, the young women of Tajikistan," telling them to "please freely read your prayers at home." He said "no one is trying to offend your rights."

(RFE/RL's Tajik Service contributed to this report.)

Copyright (c) 2004/05. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

 

 


 

Tajikistan: Human Trafficking A Growing Concern


Tajikistan -- map
Central Asia is becoming a major region of origin for human trafficking. Thousands of young women are either abducted or lured away from the country every year and sold into the sex trade. The problem is of particular concern in Tajikistan, which is still struggling to recover from a five-year civil war that has left many people desperate to find economic prospects abroad.
Prague, 22 April 2004 (RFE/RL) -- Madina remembers vividly her ordeal at the hands of a human trafficker. This Tajik single mother was desperate to secure a better life for herself and her two children. Responding to an offer from a man she didn't know, she left Tajikistan with the hope of a respectable job and a good salary.

"I was working in a local market [in Tajikistan]. One day a man talked to me and asked about my life. I told him that it was too hard, that I had a lot of problems, that I had two children and not enough money to feed them," she says. "I [am] divorced from my husband. Then he said: 'If you want you can come with me abroad. There are a lot of jobs [there] and I can help you to find one.' I believed what he said and I followed him."

Madina says the man promised her she would be able to return home after just two months, and with a huge amount of money. But it soon became clear this was not the case. "We went to Turkey, but he tricked me. He took my documents and sent me to a brothel," she says. "I spent one year in brothels. It was a terrible time for me. I was sick. And when I returned to Tajikistan I had only $200. It was difficult to escape but finally I managed to do so."

Madina is not alone. According to the International Office for Migration, some 646 Tajik women were forcibly trafficked by criminal groups from the country in 2002. Their destination is mainly the Persian Gulf, but some go to South Korea, Turkey, Southeast Asia, and Europe.

Many leave believing they will find better economic prospects abroad. With an average monthly wage in Tajikistan of just $5, many women are desperate to find a way out of poverty.

The actual figure of trafficking victims is difficult to determine. Many victims do not know to whom to turn in crisis situations and are afraid or ashamed of publicizing their cases.

Until recently, Tajik authorities largely ignored the issue. But they now admit the existence of the problem and are trying to prevent it. In the country's new Criminal Code, adopted about 1 1/2 years ago, two articles were added addressing human trafficking for the first time.

The Tajik parliament is now working on legislation to further strengthen the prohibition against human trafficking. Parliamentarian Sherkhon Salimov describes some of the changes: "We made a few changes to Articles 339 and 340 of the Criminal Code. According to these articles, people involved in preparing forged documents and in using those documents will be punished. We also made changes on several Criminal, Administrative, and Civil codes. Human trafficking is described as a crime punishable with prison terms."

Until all these amendments are adopted, human traffickers will remain punishable only under the Criminal Code, which imposes jail terms of some 5-8 years for convicted traffickers.

But Tajik Deputy Prosecutor Azizmad Imomov says the laws should be completely reviewed, rather than amended, in order to ensure the country can fight human trafficking efficiently. "Some new articles from the Criminal Code -- which basically dates from the Soviet times -- are not enough to prevent human trafficking, because in the laws, the role of the prosecutors, the court and the police is quite unclear," he said.

Meanwhile, the Tajik government is supporting preventive campaigns designed to inform the public -- especially young women -- about the dangers of human trafficking. In particular, the campaigns urge people to be wary of offers of work abroad.

Nigida Mamadjonova works for the International Office for Migration (IOM) in the Tajik capital Dushanbe. She says because it is difficult to help women who have already fallen victim to traffickers, preventing further such incidents is crucial. "According to unofficial data, more than 300 Tajik woman and girls have been arrested and imprisoned in the United Arab Emirates for prostitution. We are not involved in releasing them. Preventing them from being involved in this traffic is more important. It's our priority."

The IOM has been carrying out countertrafficking information campaigns, spreading the word through television documentaries, talk shows, radio announcements, and the distribution of leaflets. The organization also set up an information center in Dushanbe earlier this year to help migrant laborers be aware of the risks.

(Sojida Djakhfarova of RFE/RL's Tajik Service contributed to this report.)

Copyright (c) 2004/05. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org

 

 

Side Effects of Islam: Over 4000 honour killings in Pakistan in 2004: Paper 

 

 

What does CHRISTIANITY Teach Christian Men about How to Treat their Christian Wife ?

Here is what Christians believe: 

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it

 

Colossians 3:19 Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.

 

Some people don't like Christianity, until they see the alternatives...

 

 

 

THERE IS NOT ONE CHRISTIAN NATION ON EARTH WHERE MUSLIMS ARE PERSECUTED.

Yet in most nations where the majority of the population are Muslims, there is systematic government persecution of Christians.

 

"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."

--Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights--

 

 

 


Christian Conversions - According to the Bible - Can NEVER be forced.

Any Conversion to Christianity which would be "Forced" would NOT be recognized by God. It is in His True and KIND nature, that those who come to Him and choose to believe in Him, must come to Him OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL.



Don't Let anyone tell you that Christians support Forced Conversions.

That is False. True Christianity is NEVER forced.

 

 

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Core Universal Rights

The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one's belief or religion
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