Government Crackdown on Religious Expression in Tajikistan

Government Crackdown in Tajikistan

In Tajikistan, the atmosphere has grown increasingly tense as many citizens braced themselves for a potential government crackdown following the arrest of several Tajik men implicated in a terrorist attack on a concert hall in Moscow this past March. However, for Nilufar, a 27-year-old education professional, the government’s response felt particularly excessive when she witnessed local authorities outside a K.F.C. in Dushanbe, the capital, wielding scissors to trim the beards of men who were deemed to have excessively long facial hair.

This action, while shocking, did not strike Nilufar as entirely surprising. Over the span of just one month, she had been stopped three times by authorities simply for wearing a hijab in public. She remarked, “Nowadays, as soon as you step outside, you can truly sense the increased intensity of the raids.” Nilufar opted to provide only her first name during a recent interview in Dushanbe, citing fears of potential retribution for speaking out.

Tajikistan, with a population of approximately 10 million people, is predominantly Muslim and faces numerous challenges that counterterrorism experts argue create a fertile ground for extremism. These challenges include:

• Poverty
• Poor education
• High unemployment rates
• Grievances against an autocratic regime that imposes severe restrictions on religious practices

In light of these difficulties, critics contend that the Tajik government has persistently clamped down on the ways in which Islam can be taught and practiced. Furthermore, they have increasingly enforced superficial policies aimed at regulating the appearance of citizens, such as headscarf restrictions and strict guidelines on beard lengths.