Two ‘magic mullahs practicing witchcraft have been detained in Tajikistan.
According to the Tajik law enforcement authorities, both detainees are members of the banned Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT).
The detainees – one of them is resident of Shahrinav district and another one is resident of Hisor district — have been shown on Tajik national TV channels.
Resident of Shahrinav district, Rouziqul Doustmurodov, is known in Shahrinav as ‘domullo’ (elite mullah) and resident of Hisor district, Fathiddin Saymiddinov, is known in his village as ‘qori’ (a person who recites the Qur'an with the proper rules of recitation (tajwid).
However, both detainees reportedly have neither religious nor secular education, practicing witchcraft and extorting money from the population.
Rouziqul Doustmurodov reportedly promised local young girl to help marry with the help of witchcraft. Finally, she became his mistress. He reportedly had intimate relationships with her during two years and then he married her to his son, who has already been married with two children.
As far as Fathiddin Saymiddinov is concerned, he reportedly promised his fellow-villager to return his brother from Syria by means of conjurations for a certain fee. For this, Saymiddinov asked him to bring the thread having the length of the distance from Tajikistan to Syria. Naturally Saymiddinov failed to return his brother from Syria but he took money from him for each visit.
It is not the first so-called PR blow to the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan.
A video entitled “Jodugari Panjakenti” (Magician from Panjakent) that shows mullah from the village of Maikada confessing to sexual misconduct and fraud appeared on YouTube in June 2014. A voice on the video claimed that Asadullo Karimov is member of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT).
Two different videos were posted on Tajik social-network sites in April 2014. Each purportedly showed an IRPT member in a sexual encounter, one with a woman, and the other with a young man.
In comments to Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, deputy IRPT leader, Mahmadali Hayit, said in April 2014 that the videos were a state-sponsored campaign to deprive the IRPT of any credibility.
Besides, a court in Dushanbe’s Sino district sentenced village mullah Asadullo Ibrohimov to seven years in prison on October 24, 2013. The sentenced followed his conviction on charges of sexual misconduct and fraud. The court also ordered Ibrohimov to pay 14,600 somoni in fines.
Ibrohimov was known in his native Luchob village, outside Dushanbe, for offering infertility treatment. He was arrested in September 2013 after a video appeared on YouTube depicting him fondling a woman while reciting verses from the Koran. The video quickly became one of the most-viewed Tajik videos on YouTube, earning Ibrohimov the nickname “Mulloi Jodugar” (Magic Mullah).
