DUSHANBE, April 21, 2009, Asia-Plus — Dozens of followers of Jamaat ul-Tabligh, a Sunni missionary group, have reportedly been detained in one of mosques of Dushanbe.
Speaking to reporters in Dushanbe on April 21, Minister of Interiors Abdurahim Qahhorov said that 124 followers of Jamaat ul-Tabligh wee detained in a mosque in Dushanbe last week.
According to him, most of those detained were released after being interrogated and criminal proceedings were instituted against four followers of this group under the provisions of Article 187 of Tajikistan Penal Code – organization of criminal community. Those four persons have taken special training in India and the United Arab Emirates (UEA), the minister said.
Qahhorov noted that the organization maintained headquarters in India.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported that relatives and colleagues of the detainees told RFE/RL on April 17 that they have not received any information about the detainees, and described those arrested as Jamaat ul-Tabligh members who only promote Islamic values.
Sayidbek Mahmadullyoev, the head of the religion department in the Tajik Culture Ministry, said Jamaat ul-Tabligh is not officially registered and that he doesn”t know much about it, according RFE/RL.
Zubaidulloh Roziq, an Islamic Revival Party activist, told RFE/RL that he is aware of Jamaat-ut-Tabligh”s existence in Tajikistan. He said former students of Pakistani religious schools belong to the group and promote Sunni values, not only in Tajikistan but also in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, and other countries.
