DUSHANBE, December 9, 2011, Asia-Plus — In his Friday Prayer speech, Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda, a prominent Tajik religious figure, accused Saidmukarram Abduqodirzoda, the head of the Council of Ulamo (a group f scholars and imams that provides interpretations of religious practice) of inciting dissension between Muslims in the country.
Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda told reporters on December 9 that he intends to file a defamation lawsuit against Saidmukarram Abduqodirzoda.
He says the statement that was released on December 6 on behalf of the Council of Ulamo was not coordinated with members of the Council of Ulamo and it was not supported by them.
We will recall that the Council of Ulamo released a statement on December 6 calling on the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) to give a proper legal assessment of the move of the Turajonzoda family that commemorated the Ashura ceremony, which is commemorated by Shi’a Muslims.
In the statement released through the national news agency Khovar, the Council of Ulamo, in particular, notes that it is not against the commemoration of the Ashura ceremony by Shi’a Muslims, “because it is the path chosen by them, but we surprised that the Turajonzoda family, which is well-known in religious circles, commemorated this event in the Friday prayer mosque in the Turkobod jamoat of Vahdat district on December 2 that may lead to the split among Muslims, because the Turajonzoda family recon themselves among Sunni Hanafi Muslims.”
“Tajiks who are adherents of the Hanafi school of Islam have never commemorated the Ashura ceremony and in this connection, the commemoration of this ceremony by the Turajonzoda family is an action that fully contradicts the Hanafi school,” the statement stressed. The Council of Ulamo called on Muslims of the country not to submit to the influence of other schools.
In the meantime, commenting on this statement, Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda told Asia-Plus on December 7 that neither he nor his brothers have ever commemorated the Ashura ceremony, because this contradicts Sunni Islam.
“On December 2, we just honored Imam Husayn, the grandson of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and his relatives in the Friday prayer mosque in the Turkobod jamoat in connection with the beginning of the month of Muharram, which is the first month of the Islamic calendar. Imam Husayn was killed on the 10th day of Muharram,” Turajonzoda told Asia-Plus in an interview on December 7.
“I consider that the statement was not adopted by the Council of Ulamo but it was initiated by the authorities. Thus there are signatures of prominent scholars Muhammadii Qumsangiri and Allomai Regari under the statement, but they told me that they hear about that statement for the first time and that nothing was said about the statement at the meeting of the Council of Ulamo,” he said.
“Imam Husayn is a historical figure and people in Tajikistan, except followers of the Salafiya movement, respect and honor him, but this does not mean that they are Shi’a Muslims and sow discord among Muslims in Tajikistan,” said Turajonzoda, “According to their logic, all citizens of Tajikistan who have names of Husayn or Hasan are Shi’a Muslims.”
On December 9, the head of the Council of Ulamo Saidmukarram Abduqodirzoda and the CRA chairman Abdurahim Kholiqov came to the Muhammadiya Friday Prayer Mosque in the Turkobod jamoat to acquaint parishioners with the Council of Ulamo statement. But the crowd of many thousands of parishioners did not let Abduqodirzoda finish his speech and he left the mosque.
In his speech in the mosque, Vahdat Mayor Anvar Vaysiddin noted on Friday that a meeting of President Emomali Rahmon with Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda may be held within the next few days. According to him, the preliminary agreement on that has already been reached. The meeting is expected to focus on discussion of misunderstanding that rose between the two religious figures.
In his Friday prayer speech, Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda on December 9 accused the head of the Council of Ulamo of inciting dissension between Muslims in the country. He called his statement a provocation and accused Abduqodirzoda of adherence to the Salafiya movement.
Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda told reporters on Friday that he has received dozens of signals from mosques across the country that imam-khatibs received an order to read out the statement of the Council of Ulamo during the Friday prayer.
Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda noted that the Ahura ceremony has never been commemorated in the Muhammadiya Friday Prayer Mosque. According to him, they have just honored that day in the Muhammadiya Friday Prayer Mosque for already twelve years and there have been no any problems so far.
In their appeal to parishioners, Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda and his brother Eshon Nouriddinjon Turajonzoda stressed their adherence to stability in the country and their support for president’s efforts and called to parishioners to keep calmness and not to yield to provocation.
The Day of Ashura is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram.
It is commemorated by Shi’a Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 10, 680 AD). According to Sunni Muslim tradition, Muhammad fasted on this day and asked other people to fast.
In some Shi”a regions of Muslim countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Bahrain, the Commemoration of Husayn ibn Ali has become a national holiday and most ethnic and religious communities participate in it. Even in predominantly Hindu country like India, Ashura (10th day in the month of Muharram) is a public holiday.
