DUSHANBE, December 25, 2011, Asia-Plus — Tajik prominent religious figure Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda and his brother Eshoni Nouriddin have been fined for what the Vahdat law enforcement authorities say was use of bad language against the head of the Council of Ulamo (a group of scholars and imams that provides interpretations of religious practice).
The Vahdat city court on December 23 ruled that Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda and Eshoni Nouriddin be fined 350.00 somoni each. The sentence followed their conviction on the charge of disorderly conduct.
Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda told Asia-Plus on Saturday that he and his brother are not going to dispute the court’s decision because they are sure that the decision was taken under the pressure from certain power-holding structures.
The Vahdat prosecutor’s office brought the case instituted against Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda and his brother Eshoni Nouriddin before the local court on December 22.
According to the Vahdat chief prosecutor Qurbonali Muhabbatov, Hoji Akbar Turajonzoda and Eshoni Nouriddin allegedly heaped unprintable words on Saidmukarram Abduqodirzoda, the head of the Council of Ulamo and other officials on December 9.
“Such actions are qualified 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.
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.
