DUSHANBE, October 13, 2015, Asia-Plus – Tajik public servants are reportedly prohibited from attending regular Friday Prayers in mosques.

Several officials with a number of government bodies have told Asia-Plus that.  According to them, they had no problems with attending regular Friday Prayers in mosques before Idi Qurbon (Eid al-Adha).

“But over the past two weeks, our managers have banned us from attending Friday Prayers in mosques,” said an official with one of government bodies.

The Committee on Religious Affairs under the Government of Tajikistan (CRA) has confirmed that information.

“The CRA employees are attending mosques during Friday Prayers in order to monitor implementation of the parental responsibility law, which bans children under the age of 18 from attending Friday Prayers in mosques,” an official source at the CRA told Asia-Plus in an interview.  “Meanwhile, other public servants are prohibited from attending regular Friday Prayers in mosques.”         

Tajikistan’s constitution protects religious freedom; however, other laws and policies place restrictions on religious freedom and, in practice, the government enforces these restrictions.  The Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations (Law on Religion) and governmental decrees regulated religious practices and organizations.

A 2004 Council of Ulemo (Islamic council that issues fatwas and religious guidance to Islamic religious organizations) issued fatwa (religious ruling) prohibiting women from praying in mosques.  Council members stated that according to the country''s school of Islam, women should pray at home.

The parental responsibility law holds the parents of underage children attending Friday Prayers legally responsible for following them to do so.

The law was published in the country''s state-run print media on August 2, 2011, which brought it into force.

The law does allow children and teenagers who study at state-run religious schools to attend mosques and join religious associations. But other teenagers may pray at mosques only on religious festivals and at funerals.

Officials have said the law aims to prevent children from falling prey to Islamic radicalization.