Kerry urges Tajikistan not to go overboard in its crackdown on Islam
November 4, 2015 8:27 am By Robert Spencer 1 Comment
“Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Tuesday urged the president of Tajikistan not to go overboard in its crackdown on political Islam and expressions of faith….Although the population is 98 percent Muslim, several peaceful Muslim groups have been banned and their offices forced to close. Under the pretext of combatting Islam, men with long beards are forced to shave. Children are not allowed to participate in religious education unless it is state-sanctioned. Women also cannot go to mosques.”
Some of that may indeed be overboard, depending on what the groups described as “peaceful” by the Washington Post are advocating, and the circumstances of the other measures. But whatever the case may be in Tajikistan, Kerry is not one to be calling for restraint, since he represents a government that is very, very far overboard in the other direction: refusing to acknowledge that there is a jihad threat at all, and actively aiding jihad groups in Syria, Libya and elsewhere.
Kerry Tajikistan
“Kerry urges Tajikistan not to go overboard in its crackdown on Islam,” by Carol Morello, Washington Post via Stars and Stripes, November 3, 2015
DUSHANBE, Tajikistan — Secretary of State John F. Kerry on Tuesday urged the president of Tajikistan not to go overboard in its crackdown on political Islam and expressions of faith.
In remarks after he met with Foreign Minister Sirodjidin Aslov and President Emomali Rahmon, Kerry acknowledged concerns that religious extremists could infiltrate over Tajikistan’s long border with Afghanistan.
“We talked about the difficulties and challenges of counterterrorism and fighting against violent extremism effectively, but also in a way that balances human rights and religious freedom,” he said.
Kerry struck a similar note Monday during a speech in Kazakhstan, where he said that repressive measures against political opponents in the name of fighting terrorism only breed more extremism.
His visits come at a time when increased activity by Islamic militants along Tajikistan’s long border with Afghanistan has raised concerns of a domino effect, spreading extremism in Central Asia. Taliban fighters have gained ground in the Afghan province of Kunduz, which borders Tajikistan. Russia fears that militants, battle hardened from fighting in Syria, could slip into the region. Moscow is so alarmed that it has threatened to take control over Tajikistan’s borders.
The Tajik government has responded to the threat by banning the country’s only real opposition party, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, which a local court called a terrorist organization. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights rebuked the government last month after dozens of party members were arrested and charged with involvement in armed violence.
The human rights situation in Tajikistan has been deteriorating for the past two years, according to Human Rights Watch.
Although the population is 98 percent Muslim, several peaceful Muslim groups have been banned and their offices forced to close. Under the pretext of combatting Islam, men with long beards are forced to shave. Children are not allowed to participate in religious education unless it is state-sanctioned. Women also cannot go to mosques…
http://www.jihadwatch.org/2015/11/kerry-urges-tajikistan-not-to-go-overboard-in-its-crackdown-on-islam
