DUSHANBE, September 12, Asia-Plus — Salafits in Tajikistan have welcomed president’s initiative to announce the year of 2009 as Year of Imam Azam ((Al-Imam al-A”zam, “The Greatest Imam” Nu’man bin Thabit bin Zuta bin Mahan, better known by his kunya as Abu Hanifah, (699-767 CE / 80-148 AH), was the founder of the Sunni Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence – Asia-Plus) in Tajikistan, Muhammadi Rahmatullo, the head of the unregistered religious organization Salafiya in Dushanbe, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
According him, although the majority of Muslims in Tajikistan practice Hanafism, many of them are not properly aware of canons of this brand of Islam.
“Some events dedicated to Hanafism as well as life and works of Abu Hanifah will probably be held within the framework of this initiative and appropriate literature will be published that will promote raising population’s awareness of both personality of Abu Hanifah himself and Hanafism,” Rahmatullo said, adding that like the majority of Muslims in Tajikistan Salafits recognize Sunni Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence as a whole.
“We do not have difference with Hanafits on the majority of principle issues and literature of this brand of Islam is our reference books,” Muhammadi Rahmatullo said.
Commenting on views of some experts that the president’s initiative is allegedly aimed against some religious organizations, namely Salafiya, and promotes strengthening of national security in the country, Rahmatullo said that Salafits had not committed any unlawful acts and all allegations that Salafiya followers are extremists “are unfounded.”
“When we speak about national security, we mean radical religious organizations, which are banned officially in Tajikistan,” Rahmatullo said, noting that Salafiya is not recognized as extremist organization in Tajikistan.
“Therefore I would not say that this initiative is aimed against us,” said he. “Firstly, we do not ignore Imam Azam and secondly, in Tajikistan as democratic country, where not only Hanafits and Salafits but also representatives of other brands of Islam live, who should not be forced to anything.”
According to him, Salafits are ready to mark Year of Imam Azam properly along with representatives of the Islamic clerics, including members of the Islamic Revival Party (IRPT).
According to the 27 July “RFE/RL Features” item entitled “Tajik Government Concerned By Increasing Growth Of Salafism,” educated in a Pakistani madrasah, Rahmatullo is known as Mullah Muhammadi in Tajikistan and is one of the country”s Salafi leaders. He and his fellow members — most of whom are young men in their 20s and early 30s — differ from most other Tajik men. They all have beards and wear their trousers rolled up. Those signs show that they practice Salafism, a form of Islam that is quite different from Hanafism, the traditional, more liberal brand of Islam practiced by the huge majority of Tajiks.
“But it is not the look of the Salafits that concerns people. It is not even their growing presence in mosques and the differences in the way they pray and perform other religious rituals. Some devout Hanafi Muslims — including Islamic scholars and Tajik officials — seem most worried by the growing influence and exclusionism of the Salafits. The danger, they say, is that Salafits see themselves as the purest Muslims and exclude others, renouncing many kinds of Islam — Shi”ism and Sufism among them.”
Rahmatullo claims that 20,000 people have joined his organization in Tajikistan in recent years, and the number of Salafis coming to Friday Prayers — including to the biggest central mosque in Dushanbe, Imam At-Termezi — has been rising steadily.
