DUSHANBE, December 22, 2011, Asia-Plus — The Vahdat prosecutor’s office has brought the case instituted against Tajik prominent religious figures — Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda and his brother Ishoni Nouriddin – before the local court.
The Vahdat chief prosecutor Qurbonali Muhabbatov told Asia-Plus Thursday afternoon that Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda and Ishoni Nouriddin allegedly heaped unprintable words on Saidmukarram Abduqodirzoda, the head of the Council of Ulamo (a group of scholars and imams that provides interpretations of religious practice), and other officials on December 9.
“Such actions are assessed by Tajikistan’s legislation as disorderly conduct,” said the prosecutor, “Legal proceedings have been instituted against them under the provisions of Article 460 of Tajikistan’s Administrative Code – disorderly conduct (using bad language in public place).”
Article 460 of Tajikistan’s Administrative Code stipulates that use of band language in public places is punishable by a fine in an amount of seven to ten accounting indicators or an administrative arrest for a term of five to fifteen days.
We will recall that the head of the Council of Ulamo Saidmukarram Abduqodirzoda, the chairman of the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) Abdurahim Kholiqov and the Vahdat mayor Anvar Vaysiddin came to the Muhammadiya Friday Prayer Mosque in the Turkobod jamoat on December 9 to acquaint parishioners with the statement released by the Council of Ulamo against the Turajonzoda family. But the crowd of many thousands of parishioners did not let Abduqodirzoda finish his speech and he left the mosque.
On December 10, nine parishioners were sentenced to ten days of administrative arrest and several other parishioners were fined.
We will recall that the statement released on behalf of the Council of Ulamo on December 6 called on the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) to give a proper legal assessment of the move of the Turajonzoda family that allegedly commemorated the Ashura ceremony, which is commemorated by Shi’a Muslims.
Meanwhile, Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda noted that the Ashura ceremony has never been commemorated in the Muhammadiya Friday Prayer Mosque. According to him, they just honored Imam Husayn, the grandson of Muhammad (peace be upon him), and his relatives in the Friday prayer mosque 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.
On December 20, Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda filed a defamation lawsuit against Saidmukarram Abduqodirzoda in a court of Dushanbe’s Ismoili Somoni district.
