VZCZCXRO4445
RR RUEHLN RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHDBU #1345/01 2641426
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 211426Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0978
INFO RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2861
RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2257
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 2246
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2203
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 001345 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR SCA/CEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KISL TI
SUBJECT: DUSHANBE IFTAR: A FRANK DISCUSSION ABOUT RELIGION 
 
 
DUSHANBE 00001345  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary:  Participants at a September 18 Iftar hosted 
by Ambassador discussed the Draft Law on Religious 
Organizations, the mosque registration process, and the recent 
mosque closures in Dushanbe.  Islamic Renaissance Party of 
Tajikistan leader Muhiddin Kabiri and Center for Strategic 
Research scholar and former exchange participant Abdullo Rahnamo 
gently sparred with members of the Council of Ulamo, a de facto 
government body which regulates Islamic activities in the 
country.  End Summary. 
 
Regulating Religion 
=============== 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  The Iftar guests discussed the rising tension between 
religious leaders and the government.  According to unconfirmed 
internet news reports, the Tajik government has closed 213 
mosques in Dushanbe alone over the last two months; there are 
also reports that the government has demolished four of these 
mosques.  The government argued that these mosques were not 
properly registered, and did not have official government 
permission to function.  However, the government allowed most of 
these mosques to re-open during the Ramadan period, which the 
Council of Ulamo representative argued was a sign of government 
good-will.  Despite this concession, however, the government 
also destroyed another non-registered mosque in Dushanbe's 102nd 
Sino District community on September 17.  Additional details on 
this rising tension, and its potential consequences, will be the 
subject of a separate cable. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) During dinner, The Tajik participants took opposing 
stands on religious freedom issues, with Domullo Qobilijon, 
Mufti of the Council of Ulamo, and Abdujagol Aliev, Rector of 
the Islamic University and member of the Ulamo Council, lining 
up against Kabiri and Rahnamo.  There are two kinds of mosques 
in Tajikistan: mosques that offer services only on Fridays, and 
mosques that offer prayer services five times per day.  Kabiri 
stated that a large majority of the Friday mosques were already 
registered with the government, but argued that the government 
requirement to register mosques that offered prayer five times 
per day is unconstitutional.  He reasoned that individual 
mosques in Tajikistan should be independent organizations, 
subordinate neither to the Council of Ulamo nor the government. 
He also argued that the Council of Ulamo is technically 
independent of the government and has no right to inspect or 
otherwise regulate a mosque.  A recent example of unwarranted 
regulation was the Council's recent initiative to test the 
religious knowledge of the imams at mosques in Dushanbe.  The 
Council decided that four imams did not have the required 
religious knowledge, and terminated their positions. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Aliev said the Council of Ulamo discussed the Draft of 
the Law on Religious Organizations in early September. 
According to him, the Council's members opposed the Draft, which 
would limit the number of people that could worship at mosques. 
He described recent amendments to the Draft which would give 
local government the power to register mosques, and discussed 
the provision which could ban political parties with a religious 
affiliation, such as the Islamic Party.  However, Aliev said, 
the Council does not have the clout to remove this provision 
from the draft law.  Kabiri said that the Parliament had not 
received a copy of new draft but expected to receive it soon. 
He believes that the draft law is directed at Islam, and that 
religious minorities are only "unintended victims."  He plans to 
put forward his own version of the law. 
 
Social Strictures 
============= 
 
¶5.  (SBU) In September 2005, the Council of Ulamo adopted a 
religious verdict (fatwah), which stated that women were not 
allowed to pray in mosques.  At that time, there were only three 
Friday mosques, in Dushanbe and Vahdat District, which admitted 
women to pray.  Qobiljon said that the Council adopted the 
fatwah because three of the most influential Islamic scholars 
and leaders of Tajikistan -- Eshoni Nuridin (brother of Hoji 
Akbar Turajonzoda), Domullo Hikmatullo (from Tojikobod District) 
and Domullo Muhammadi (from Qumsangir District) -- did not 
attend the vote.  Qobiljon argued that had they attended this 
vote, these three individuals likely could have persuaded the 
group to allow women in mosques.  He did not comment on why the 
Ulamo has failed to overturn this fatwah in the subsequent two 
years. 
 
DUSHANBE 00001345  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Qobiljon and Aliev were also disappointed that the new 
"Law on Traditions" did not allow people to conduct an Iftar 
dinner in the mosque.  This restriction has caused many problems 
for people, particularly elderly people for whom it is difficult 
to go home, eat, and then return to the mosque for the final 
prayer of the night.  Kabiri argued that people did not 
understand their rights under the law allowed the government to 
abuse their rights.  (Note: President Rahmon recently declared 
that a "mosque is not a dining room," and verbally outlawed the 
practice of Iftar in mosques.  However, the edict has not been 
officially codified.)  Zarafo Rahmoni, Editor of the Islamic 
Party's women's journal, lamented the government practice of 
barring youths from mosques.  Because her 17-year old son is not 
permitted to pray in the mosque, even after school hours, he 
meets in the evening with other young men to pray in secret. 
Kabiri said the Islamic Revival Party has built a mosque on the 
grounds of its party headquarters in Dushanbe, where it is 
hosting a nightly Iftar and prayers for 1,000 people - including 
women and children. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Comment: This year's dinner was much more lively than 
last year's, perhaps reflecting a greater concern with 
continuing pressure on all religious activity.  It is also 
possible that because we didn't invite representatives of other 
religious groups and only two Muslim ambassadors attended, the 
Tajik guests were more relaxed.  It is clear, however, that 
government closures of mosques and bans on women and youth 
praying publicly has not reduced religious activity this Ramadan 
- just driven it underground.  End Comment. 
JACOBSON