DUSHANBE, August 9, 2010, Asia-Plus — Only three educational facilities in Tajikistan have been granted license to teach religious subjects since the country’s new religion law was adopted – Tajik State Islamic Institute, Gymnasium at Tajik Islamic Institute, and the private Imam Abu Hanifa high school in Dushanbe, Khurshed Ziyoev, the head of the State Service for Education Supervision at the Ministry of Education, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
According to him, only those facilities have applied to the Ministry of Education for license for teaching religious subjects.
He explained why religious organizations having right to open educational facilities have not applied to them for license: “Though the new religion law came into effect, there were no regulations stipulating the procedure of teaching activities within religious organizations and the procedure of licensing analysis. We have developed the regulations and will submit them for consideration to the Ministry of Justice soon.”
Saidbek Mahmadulloyev, the acting head of the religious associations department within the Committee on Religious Affairs, says that under the new religion law that came into effect in 2009, Friday prayer mosques and central cathedral mosques have the right to open religious schools if they got appropriate permit from the Ministry of Education and the Committee on religious Affairs.
According to the Committee on Religious Affairs, Tajikistan now has 3,334 registered mosques for daily prayers, 325 Friday prayer mosques (larger facilities built for weekly Friday prayers) and 27 central cathedral mosques. Besides, 74 non-Islamic religious associations now function in the country.
Khurshed Ziyoev notes that more than 10 madrasahs and some 3,000 schools at mosques now function illegally in the country.
In the meantime, representatives from the Ministry of Education note they cannot prohibit children from attending illegal religious schools at mosques because it is outside their competence. “Of course, we call on children not to attend these illegal schools, but if they study well and attend high schools regularly, we cannot prohibit them from doing what they and their parents want in their spare time,” Jaloliddin Amirov, an official with the Ministry of Education, said.
Amirov reminded that “Marifati Islom” (Knowledge of Islam) coursework was introduced to schools and eighth graders are schooled in the subject one hour a week.
