DUSHANBE, April 8, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- On Friday April 8, President Emomali Rahmon held a meeting over a nationwide discussion of the bill on holding parents responsible for their children’s action and education.

According to the presidential press service, representatives of the government, parliament, relevant ministries and organizations as well as researchers and clerics attended the meeting.

Speaking at the meeting, the president noted that more than 8,000 proposals have been offered over three and half months of the nationwide discussion of the parental responsibility bill.

15 meetings of a special working group have reportedly been held over the report period.

Jumakhon Davlatov, State Advisor to the President for Legal Issues, noted that the group had thoroughly studied all the proposals received and many of them had been included in the final edition of the law.

We will recall that the government considered the bill on parental responsibilities in the upbringing of their children at a December 14, 2010 meeting.  Addressing the meeting, President Rahmon offered to submit the bill for a nationwide discussion.  The bill was worked out president’s initiative.  After detailed discussion at an October 29 government session the bill was returned as requiring improvement.

In the meantime, many believers in the country are critical of the parental responsibility bill that would ban children under 18 from worshipping in mosques, churches and other houses of worship.

Some local experts say the main target of the parental responsibility law are the Muslim children that the government wants to ban from going to mosques in an attempt to prevent them from becoming radical Muslims.