Representatives from diverse religious communities gathered in Dushanbe recently to discuss Tajikistan’s stance on religious freedom and the rights of citizens to practice their beliefs.
According to a report by AsiaNews, Sulaymon Davlatzoda, head of the country’s Committee for Religious Affairs, led the discussion, asserting progress in religious coexistence and freedom in Tajikistan.
“In recent years we have achieved many positive results in the field of religious freedom, and we now have great experience in coexistence between followers of different religious communities and movements,” he remarked.
However, international watchdogs and rights organizations, such as the U.S. Congressional Commission on Religious Freedom, have frequently criticized Tajikistan’s treatment of religious groups, particularly Muslim communities and Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Allegations against the government include enforced beard trimming, restrictions on Islamic clothing in state institutions, and other measures perceived as limiting Islamic expression.
Davlatzoda addressed these concerns, dismissing accusations of religious discrimination. He argued that regulations on appearance in state offices are personal beliefs rather than state policies, and that individual offices have their own guidelines independent of religious obligations.
“Each office has its own internal rules, for which we are not responsible,” he said.
Critics argue that these comments ignore existing legislation affecting religious expression, such as a law enacted in June by President Emomali Rakhmon.
The law, titled “On the Order of Holidays and Rites,” includes a ban on clothing deemed “foreign” to Tajik culture, which analysts interpret as a restriction on traditional Muslim attire, including the hijab and satr.
Similarly, forced beard trimming remains common, sparking backlash from communities affected.
The Forum-18, a Norwegian NGO that monitors religious freedom, recently documented rights violations against the Ismaili Muslim community in Gorno-Badakhshan.
According to the report, following protests by locals in 2022, authorities have intensified pressure on this ethnic Pamiri minority, confiscating religious items associated with the Aga Khan and prohibiting communal prayers, even in private homes.
The Ismaili centers in Dushanbe and Khorug remain operational but face strict controls, limiting religious gatherings to monitored prayer sessions.
Despite these restrictions, Makhrambek Makhrambekov, head of the Ismaili community in Dushanbe, stated at the forum that establishing an Ismaili community in the capital was a hard-won achievement in asserting religious independence.
“The creation and activities of an Ismaili community of Shiite tendency in Dushanbe is the result of intensive work for the recognition of constitutional guarantees and the achievement of independence in the religious field,” Makhrambekov said.
