DUSHANBE, March 31, 2016, Asia-Plus – Fayzullo Barotzoda, Chairman of the Center for Islamic Studies under the President of Tajikistan, believes that activity of the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) extremist organization puts existence of Tajikistan as an independent state under threat, according to Radio Liberty’ Tajik Service.
“Young people from mountain villages who are just settling in city life are vulnerable to ISIL’s propaganda,” Barotzoda.
According to him, another section of the population vulnerable to ISIL’s propaganda is labor migrants working in the Russian Federation who come under influence of IS recruiters there.
Tajik expert says that ISIL project “Khurosoni Buzurg” (Great Khorasan) poses a serious threat to Tajikistan and other countries of the region. The main objective of “Khurosoni Buzurg” is to destabilize the situation in the Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union.
According to him, Khuroson Wilayat includes the Muslim republics of the former Soviet Union and parts of Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“Islamist terrorist organizations do not recognize national borders and they do not recognize all non-Arab peoples,” Barotzoda. “They want to see as part of Great Caliphate not only Tajikistan but also other republics.”
Social networking sites are the main tool for recruiting youth, he added.
We will recall that ISIL’s official spokesman Abu Muhammad al-Adnani on January 26, 2015, released an audio statement in which he accepted the earlier pledge of allegiance and announced the expansion of ISIL’s caliphate with the creation of Wilayat Khorasan (Khorasan Province), a historical region incorporating parts of modern-day Afghanistan and Pakistan. Hafiz Khan Saeed, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province (ISIL-K, Wilayah Khorasan), was appointed as its local leader, or Wāli (Governor). Formed in January 2015, ISIL-K is a branch of the ISIL militant Islamist group, active in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
