KHOROG, January 26, 2011, Asia-Plus — 15 mosques were temporarily suspended from their function in Gorno Badakhshan last year for failure to be reregistered with the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) under the Government of Tajikistan, Khusrav Raqamov, the head of the department for regulating national traditions and rituals within the GBAO regional administration, announced at a news conference in Khorog on January 25.
According to him, the mosques functioning in the region were to have been reregistered with CRA until December 2010, but 14 mosques in Darvoz district and four mosques in Vanj district have failed to submit appropriate documents to the committee, “it means that their function will be considered to be illegal.”
Raqamov added that attestations of all clerics in the region, quizzing them on their knowledge of Islamic principles, would be organized in February.
He noted Gorno Badakhshan now had 39 mosques for daily prayers and five Friday prayer mosques (larger facilities built for weekly Friday prayers) located in Darvoz, Vanj and Murgab districts.
