Tajik officials and analysts cite youthful naivety, poverty and lack of education as the main causes of radicalization.
Tajik migrants traveling to Russia are much susceptible to radicalization. More that 85 percent of Tajik youth reportedly join extremist groups through recruitment videos and social media while traveling to the Russian Federation seeking better employment opportunities, says an article by teachers of the Tajik Interior Ministry Academy on ways of radicalization of Tajik youth.
Why do Tajik citizens become extremists?
Shohrukh Ahyorzoda and Hayot Safarzoda, two lecturers at the Academy of Ministry of Internal Affairs Academy, wrote in an article published on August 31 in the "Youth Council" group on the Academy's Facebook page that over 85% of Tajik citizens in conflict zones had traveled to "Islamic countries" from Russia. They expressed concern about the influence of Salafism-Wahhabism ideology among migrants, which they described as a "serious threat to Tajikistan's national security."
The authors recommended that parents and relatives of migrants, as well as Tajik Diasporas and representations abroad, intensify their fight against extremism, but did not specify how this should be done. The article was later removed from the group's page for unknown reasons.
The lecturers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs Academy raised alarm about the recruitment of Tajik citizens into extremist groups through social networks and "internet imams," noting that some Tajik migrants had previously been involved in terrorist acts in various countries.
Some experts argue that the reasons behind migrant involvement in extremist organizations include the lack of legal rights for migrants, insufficient religious education in Tajikistan, psychological issues, and economic factors.
Aside from the Islamic Institute in Dushanbe, religious education is not widely available in the country. In the past, the government closed several religious schools (madrasas), justifying the move as a preventive measure to stop young people from joining extremist and terrorist groups. However, such measures have drawn criticism from human rights advocates who accuse Tajikistan of restricting religious freedoms.
Jamoliddin Khomushi, a member of Tajikistan's Council of Ulema and a religious leader, told Asia-Plus that the lack of basic religious knowledge is the main reason some labor migrants fall into the hands of extremists.
"No one can guarantee the accuracy and correctness of the information and teachings migrants receive online and from various circles. Migrants themselves cannot verify this. As a result, this uncontrolled process can lead some migrants to join radical groups," he noted.
Is the level of radicalization the same within the country as it is abroad?
Rustam Azizi, an expert in countering violent extremism, believes that radicalization occurs similarly both inside and outside the country.
“Many people joined these groups within their own country, without even traveling abroad. For example, former commander of the Interior Ministry special police unit Gulmurod Halimov, Abu Khalid, or Abu Usoma had no ties to migration. Their involvement and radicalization took place within Tajikistan,” Azizi pointed out.
According to him, migration is not a cause of radicalization, “it is merely a location where recruiters and emissaries find their target audience. This group consists primarily of young people aged 18 to 26—this is the age when many of our fellow citizens go abroad for work,” he noted in an earlier interview with Asia-Plus.
