In a strange development, Emomali Rahmon, the President of Tajikistan, a Muslim-majority country and a former Soviet communist republic, decided to ban the hijab, prohibit the celebration of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and criminalize calling for implementing Sharia.
The former communist president issued 35 laws to erase the Islamic identity of the Tajik people, under the pretense of promoting national identity and preventing superstition and extremism, despite 98% of the population being Muslim. These decisions are similar to what neighboring communist China is committing against Muslims. He imposed restrictions on wearing the hijab or headscarf in public places, describing it as foreign clothing that is prohibited in schools, government hospitals, and even religious institutions.
Since the official independence of Tajikistan from the Soviet Union on September 9, 1991, its president and regime have followed the same communist laws, later turning the country into a secular republic.
The president's press office confirmed that he signed 35 laws, including the ban on the hijab and the prohibition of religious celebrations, referring to Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, and banning children's celebrations during Islamic holidays.
In contrast, he encouraged citizens to wear what he called the national costume, claiming it preserves the identity and culture of the Tajik people. The national dress consists of a long robe for women, similar to the hijab but adorned with multiple colors and accompanied by a cap or scarf, which is not much different from the hijab and traditional conservative attire.
Rahmon claimed that deviating from dress codes and rituals represents cultural alienation that undermines the independence of thought and the national and cultural identity of the Tajik nation. He said that they must avoid the infiltration of so-called religious clothing that does not meet their religious needs and is foreign to their customs and culture to protect their true national values.
He instructed the Committee of Women and Family Affairs in the republic, in collaboration with Tajik designers, to develop and present designs for national clothing aligning with the religious and moral needs of Tajik women.
According to the new laws, violators of the dress code and holiday celebrations will be fined amounts ranging from 7920 TJS (about €700) for ordinary citizens, 54000 TJS (€4694) for government officials, and 57600 TJS (€5000) for religious leaders.
The regime has begun deploying security teams on the streets to combat the hijab, threatening hijabi women with a fine of 65,000 TJS ($5900), forcing them to take them off.
Rahmon's statement also mentioned a new version of regulating celebrations, rituals, and child upbringing under the pretext of protecting the true values of national culture and preventing superstitions, prejudices, excesses, and extravagance in celebrations and rituals. He justified this with vague interpretations, such as raising the spiritual, social, and economic level of the people of Tajikistan, protecting children's rights and freedoms, and educating and raising children in the spirit of humanity, national pride, and respect for national values.
Repressive Laws
These new laws are not much different from other old ones taken by this president since independence from the Soviet Union, all of which are repressive laws aimed at tightening freedoms in general and persecuting any opposition to his authoritarian rule. In 2007, Tajikistan banned Islamic attire for students, later expanding the decision to include public institutions. Additionally, in 2018, the government published a guide titled “Recommended Clothing Guide in Tajikistan.”
Furthermore, the Tajik parliament enacted a law prohibiting women from wearing burqas and niqabs under the pretense of supporting national culture and traditions in opposition to foreign cultures and combating religious extremism. The new law stipulates a fine of 3500 TJS ($322) for any woman wearing a burqa.
Furthermore, authorities also banned a tradition known as “Idgardak,” where children go from house to house collecting eidyah (Eid money) from neighbors during Eid al-Fitr, as a benign old custom that brings joy to children. Additionally, children under 18 years old were prohibited from entering places of worship without parental permission. According to this law, parents must prevent children under 18 from going to mosques and learning the Quran, or else they could face administrative penalties!
Since 2010, President Rahmon has implemented repressive measures against Muslims under the guise of combating what he called “religious extremism.” This has included arresting individuals with thick beards under the pretense of resembling ISIS (Islamic State)!
On January 21, 2016, the Tajikistan government forcibly shaved the beards of 13,000 men in 2015, claiming their similarities to ISIS!
On May 10, 2015, the parliament approved a bill banning Arabic names. The legislation stated that registry offices would not register names deemed foreign to local culture, including those of Arabic origin. A report from Tajikistan's Committee on Religious Affairs in 2017 indicated the closure of 1,938 mosques in just one year, converting them into cafes and medical centers.
Despite Tajikistan's Sunni Islamic history, which has seen prominent religious scholars and a public known for their devout adherence to Islam, love for Islamic sciences, and respect for Islamic traditions and scholars, there are now severe restrictions on Islamic education, according to reports from “Asia Plus.” There are no courses for Islamic education within the educational system, from elementary to university levels. Studying Islamic sciences abroad or sending students to institutions like Al-Azhar is also prohibited. The Tajik government has banned the use of microphones for adhan (the call to prayer) in mosques and has restricted many women from praying in them as well.
Islamic Renaissance Party
The repression and attempts to assimilate identity in Tajikistan are related to a long history of conflict between the Communist rulers and the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, founded in 1973. This party was based on the ideas, goals, and principles of the Muslim Brotherhood organization, drawing inspiration from figures like Imam Hasan al-Banna, Sheikh Muhammad al-Ghazali, and Sheikh Abul A'la Maududi. It was the second-most significant party in the country after the ruling Communist Party.
Initially, Sheikh Abdullah al-Nuri led the Islamic Renaissance Party until his death in 2006. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the founding congress of the Islamic Renaissance Party was held in a hall of the disbanded Communist Party building in 1991.
Its establishment came after former Russian President Gorbachev began his policy of openness in the late 1980s. At that time, Islamic leaders from all Soviet republics gathered in June 1990 in Astrakhan, Russia, at the invitation of Muslims from Tatarstan, and established a party called the Islamic Renaissance Party to promote Islam in the Soviet republics. The party was officially registered with Soviet authorities, and the founding assembly decided that Muslims of each republic would have their own branch of the party that centered in Tajikistan.
During the period between 1992 and 1997, Tajikistan plunged into internal conflicts when the former president, Rahmon Nabiyev, who was a member of the Soviet Communist Party, falsified the elections in 1992. In response to the opposition's protests, he declared a state of emergency across the country because he is refusing a free election.
This led the opposition, the Islamic Renaissance Party, along with other liberal party forces, to mobilize their supporters in a prolonged sit-in protest outside the parliament. The people seized control of radio and television stations and surrounded intelligence agency buildings. When Nabiyev fled and sought asylum in Moscow, Russia swiftly bolstered its forces in Tajikistan with an 800-soldier unit that secured the airport, supported by Uzbekistan.
In November 1992, the Communist factions, led by Emomali Rahmon, seized power with the backing of Russian and Uzbek military intervention. This military intervention was opposed by Islamic groups but led to armed clashes as Russian troops supported Tajikistan's Communist forces against Islamic opposition fighters who had taken to the streets. The Islamist opposition was eventually forced to retreat into the mountains or flee to Afghanistan.
Since taking over the presidency officially in November 1994, Emomali Rahmon has escalated persecution against Muslims in general and banned any political roles or social influence for Islamic forces or parties advocating for Islamic renaissance in the country. The Communist authorities launched a campaign aimed at eradicating the Islamic Renaissance Party, closing its headquarters in the capital, Dushanbe, along with its affiliated publishing house, and halting the publication of its newspaper, “Najot.”
In an interview with the BBC on May 30, 2024, the banned leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party in Tajikistan, Muhiddin Kabiri, stated that Tajikistan has been ruled by one person (Emomali Rahmon) and one family for the past 30 years. He emphasized that political freedoms are non-existent, with parties banned and the fate of political activists and journalists being either imprisonment or exile from the country. Religious freedoms are also constrained, with increasing corruption leaving space for secular or extremist ideologies among youth who see no future for themselves.
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