KULOB, July 18, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- Local authorities in the Kulob region of Khatlon province crack down on unregistered religious schools.

Illegal religious school with five students has been discovered in the Borbad mahalla (neighborhood) of the city of Kulob.

Abdulvahob Iskandarov, deputy chief of the Khatlon police directorate in charge of the Kulob region, says resident of the Borbad mahalla has been detained for illegally teaching Islamic studies to children.

“Five children were studying in the illegal religious school in the Borbad mahalla,” Iskandarov said, noting that the detainee did not have formal permission from the State Religious Affairs Committee and local administration to teach Islamic studies to children.

According to him, 16 similar cases have been reported in the Kulob region over the first six months of this year.  “The illegal religious underground school has been shut down in the Olimtoy area, Muminobod district.  Local resident who graduated from religious school abroad opened this school and seventeen children were studying in this illegal underground religious school,” Iskandarov