Tajikistan detains eleven alleged extremist Salafists
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 9 February 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Tajikistan detains eleven alleged extremist Salafists, 9 February 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5509404f6.html [accessed 22 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
February 09, 2015
By RFE/RL's Tajik Service
Tajik authorities say they have detained 11 people on suspicion of being adherents of a banned branch of Islam.
The Interior Ministry said on February 9 that the 11 men were detained in the northern province of Sughd.
Investigators said they are followers of the Salafi branch of Islam, which was branded as extremist and banned in Tajikistan in 2008.
In December, a Tajik court sentenced four men to prison terms after convicting them of being adherents of Salafi Islam.
Salafists follow a strict form of Sunni Islam and do not recognize other branches of Islam, such as Shi'a and Sufism. It is frequently referred to as Wahhabism, although Salafis reject this as derogatory.
The overwhelming majority of Tajiks are followers of Hanafia, a more liberal branch of Sunni Islam.
With reporting by asiaplus.tj and Interfax
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
