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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| All of a sudden, USA stands up to defend Muslim |
| 2011-03-15 |
| The United States is trying to destabilize the situation in Central Asia, speculating on religion and freedom of faith. US Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Ian Kelly harshly criticized the state of affairs in Tajikistan, the government of which, as he said, took repressive moves against the faithful. The fighter for religious freedoms was concerned about a bill, proposed by Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon. The bill about parental responsibility for raising their children bans young people under 18 years of age from joining religious organizations. Those parents, who turn a blind eye on their children's membership at religious organizations, will be penalized financially. Adults can be deprived of parental rights if the above-mentioned measures prove to be of no help. Ian Kelly is concerned that underage individuals in Tajikistan can be barred from attending religious rituals and services, save funeral services. In light of these circumstances, the US Ambassador to the OSCE urged the government of Tajikistan to abolish the bill, which would imply a serious violation of religious freedoms. The official also said that the US administration was alarmed about the prohibition for Tajik women to attend mosques in the country. Indeed, several years ago, the Tajik Islamic Council banned females from attending the mosques in which there were no special rooms for women. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #1 It seems to me that if Tajikistan's laws were adopted across the Muslim world, Islamist radicalism would be much less of a problem. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2011-03-15 17:11 |