DUSHANBE, Tajikistan — Religious expression in the Central Asian country of Tajikistan may soon become even more restricted, according to a warning from a nonpartisan federal panel that keeps tabs on the global status of faith groups.
The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has reported that Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon is preparing to sign a religion law that will place more constraints on religion, especially Islam. Some of its measures, USCIRF noted, may violate international agreements Tajikistan has entered into.
The legislation, approved in March by Tajikistan’s Parliament, will place into law government policies already practiced against Muslims, USCIRF reported. Muslims make up about 97 percent of the country’s population. The Tajik government promotes secularism, according to the U.S. State Department.
The bill’s provisions include the forced closing of hundreds of mosques and restrictions on the religious training of children, according to the commission. It also limits religious activities to state-sanctioned places of worship, mandates government censorship of religious literature and permits state regulation of religious groups, USCIRF said.
“The picture for religious freedom in Tajikistan is growing dim,” said Felice Gaer, USCIRF’s chairwoman.
USCIRF, a nine-member panel appointed by the president and congressional leaders, makes recommendations to the State Department for designation of “countries of particular concern” (CPC) for the worst violators of religious freedom. The commission also keeps a “watch list” of governments it believes do not reach the CPC level but require close monitoring regarding their policies.
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