KULOB, July 31, 2012, Asia-Plus — Eighteen unused buildings for public worship in the Temourmalik district have been turned into social facilities, Sharif Abdulhomidov, the head of the Kulob department for religious affairs, told Asia-Plus Tuesday afternoon.
“After collapse of the Soviet Union, residents of practically all villages and local entrepreneurs have begun to construct buildings for public worship, without taking into consideration needs and without completing appropriate documents,” said Abdulhomidov, “With the lapse of time, high quality mosques have been built in the district and many of these buildings for public worship have been abandoned.”
According to him, residents of many villages have applied to the local authorities asking to turn the abandoned buildings for public worship into firs-aid posts, library or primary school.
In all, 566 buildings for public worship, including 44 mosques, now function in the Kulob region of Khatlon province, Abdulhomidov added.
We will recall that Tolibjon Azimov, a senior assistant to the Khatlon prosecutor, told Asia-Plus in June that 229 illegally functioning mosques have been revealed in the province since the beginning of this year and 75 of them have been turned into teahouses, school classes, libraries or first-aid posts.
