The man who attacked Saidmukarram Abdulqodirzoda, the head of the Council of Ulema of Tajikistan, with a knife is facing extremism charges. Tajikistan’s grand mufti announced this at a news conference in Dushanbe on January 31.
According to him, the case has already moved to a court, and the firs hearing has taken place.
"I said: May Allah guide him. The trial is ongoing. I was summoned to the first session, but I was busy and could not attend, so I sent my representative. My representative said that the man cried a lot and repented. He claimed that he was misled, provoked, and deceived, and that he did not realize what he was doing. He asked to convey his apologies to the Mufti and expressed deep regret. I have not met him yet," Abdulqodirzoda said.
As it had been reported earlier, the grand mufti of Tajikistan Saidmukarram Abdulqodirzoda was attacked in Dushanbe on September 11 last year in the city’s central mosque.
The Interior Ministry’s press office said Abdulqodirzoda, the state-selected head of Tajikistan’s Muslims, was injured but is in stable condition. The press office said the attacker injured the mufti “with a cutting tool out of a sense of hooliganism.” The name and surname of the attacker were not disclosed, nor was the specific article under which criminal proceedings were instituted.
More than a month later, on October 17, Saidmukarram Abdulqodirzoda commented on the incident, stating that “this young man was one of the extremists.”
"This group is a kind of association of uneducated young people with a narrow worldview. They claim to serve Islam. But if you look at the roots of these radical groups, they are not Muslims. They are recruited through the internet and social media. Those who recruited, directed, and incited them, or were waiting for them, have actually never met them in person," the mufti added.
He once again did not reveal the identity of the attacker.
Meanwhile, Tajik law enforcement agencies have not provided further details on the investigation or court proceedings regarding the attack.
Abdulqodirzoda is 61 years old and has been the chairman of the Council of Ulema, the only fatwa-issuing body in Tajikistan, since 2010.
