Press release
on the Law “On Regulation of Celebrations and Ceremoniesin the Republic of Tajikistan”
The Law of the Republic of Tajikistan”On Regulation of traditions, holidays and rituals in the Republic of Tajikistan” for more than 17 years of its implementation has played an important role in the orderly arranging ofcelebrations, events and ceremonies of citizens, contributed to the elimination of superstitions and excesses, in particular preventing unnecessary waste and expenses in holding events and ceremonies, and thus improving people’ssocial well-being.
The Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Regulation of traditions, holidays and rituals in the Republic of Tajikistan”which was adoped on June 8, 2007,was declared invalid with the adoption of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Regulation of Celebrations and Ceremonies in the Republic of Tajikistan” dated June 20, 2024, No. 2048. As a result, the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On RegulationofCelebrationsand Ceremonies in the Republic of Tajikistan” dated June 20, 2024, No. 2048 was approved in a new edition and is currently in force.
The achievements of the governing law during this period can be briefly categorized as follows:
The expenses of the population for holding celebrations have decreased three times compared to the period before the adoption of the Law.
Before the the acceptance of the Law, especially the bride and groom’s celebration which lasted from three days to a week, can now be observed less frequently. The feasts are held after working hours and on weekends within a specified time and with a certainnumber of guests.
According to official data, deposits of citizens in banks annually increase from 20% to 25%, and the practice of obtaining loans by people from banks for ceremony purposeshas been eliminated.
Along with the implementation of other programs and significant initiatives of the Founder of Peace and National Unity, Leader of the Nation, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, honorable Emomali Rahmon and the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan with the purpose ofreducing poverty, the role of this Lawis significant.
The celebrations were included in the statistical data and their rate of increase and decrease was controlled. On average, about 135-150 thousand celebrations have beenconducted annually in the country (without considering 2020, when celebrations became more limited and smaller due to the coronavirus pandemic).
Implementing the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On the Regulation of Celebrations and Ceremonies in the Republic of Tajikistan” provides a framework for improving each household’sliving standards, and the funds obtained from savings are used for housing repair, purchase of necessary household items, children’s upbringing and education, improvement of the supply of household goods, purchase of new equipment and technologies, etc. The folk culture of celebrations has acquired a new emphasisin the context of a developed world civilization.
From the very first days, implementation ofthis Law’srequirements gave significant financial and economic results in protecting the interests of the citizens of our republic.
It is regrettable that some organizations and institutions and foreign mass media have misinterpreted and misexplained the norms of this Law, which is unacceptable.
About women notgoingto the mosque. The Constitution and the laws of the republic provide equal rights both for men and women, and there are no restrictions from the authorized bodies. The issue of women not going to mosques has a religious and madhab aspect, as there are no restrictions in this issueaccording to the law.
The issue of women not going to the mosque concerns only followers of the Hanafi school of Islam, not all women. For instance,women of other religions, including followers of Catholics, Baptists, Orthodox, Hare Krishna, Baha’i and other religions, freely perform their religious rites in their religious institutions. Women who follow the Shia Imami Ismaili school of Islam, who are also Muslims, go to their respective congregational houses and worship without restrictions.
Regarding wearing religious clothing.
Regarding the issue of special clothing in schools where there are certain requirements for school clothing, it should be noted that this choice is free of restrictions and is based on a bilateral agreement between parents and the educational institution. An analysis is given of the interpretation of the requirements of Article 14 of the Constitution of the country and part 3 of Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, according to which “personal religious beliefs are not restricted, but manifestation of beliefs can be restricted”, it can be by clothing or something else. Regardingthe uniforms of pupils and students of general, secondary and higher professional education institutions (based on the decisions of the board of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan), it should be noted that they are used as recommendation. In secular Tajikistan, citizens are provided with all conditions for performing religious ceremonies and wearing appropriate clothes.
On prohibitingthe attendance of the minorsin religious associations’ activities.
Several factors led to the adoption of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On the Responsibility of parents in the education and upbringing of children”, one of which is the protection of a child’s right to education and his/her normal physical and mental development. According to this law, parents are obliged to monitor the behavior of their underage children, including their attendance in religious associations’ activities. For a proper understanding of this norm, it is necessary to understand the types of religious associations’activities. The activities of a religious association are methods and ways of activity and forms of meeting the citizens’religious needs.According to part 3 of Article 3 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations”, religious associations’ activities are divided into four types: a) organizational activities; b) agitational activities; c) educational activities and d) religious activities. The fact that a child cannot attend organizational and agitational activities of a religious association is no room for argument, this is confirmed by all legal systems of countries and international legal documents. The reason is that according to the Civil Code and other documents, a child acquires the ability to fully act only after reaching the age of 18.Part 2 of Article 9 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” established that one of the signs of the founder of a religious association indicatesreaching the age 18. That is, a child cannot be a founder of a religious association, at the same time it is impossible to involve a child in religious outreach activities. Because the primary task and responsibility of a child is to read, learn and develop morally and physically. This issue is also defined by regional and international laws. Therefore, non-attendance of a child in religious association activities has a full basis in this section and should not be discussed.
Now there are two more areas of activity: educational and religious. That is why the law has a phrase “except for children officially enrolled in religious institutions”. This part of the norm has a blanket nature and refers to part 15 of Article 4 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations”, which states: “Involvement of minors in religious association activities – provision of religious education to minors without written consent of parents or persons in loco parentis are prohibited”. This law only requires that the rights and interests of children and adolescents should be taken into account, so that their religious education and collective worship is carried out under the control of parents and with their consent.
On the achievements of independent Tajikistan in religionsphere. Along with the above facts, it is important to note the achievements of the Republic of Tajikistan in religion sphere during independence period. The level of human rights and freedoms in relation to religion in Tajikistan is determined by the presence of religious associations, the number of registered associations engaged in religion and religious education. During the independence years, Tajikistan has achieved significant results in implementing religious freedom of citizens, and in general the religious situation in the republic is considered stable and normal. While in Soviet times there were only 7 mosques and at the end of Soviet preiod there were only 34 religious associations (including 17 mosques, 15 Christian churches and 2 synagogues), at present there are more than 4,000 registered religious associations in Tajikistan, 66 of which are non-Islamic religious associations.
A comparison of the level of religious freedom in Tajikistan with other countries shows that the indicators in this area are very high and stable. Moreover, construction of a large mosque in Dushanbe, which capable of accommodating more than 100,000 prayers at a time, and the construction of a new building of the Islamic Institute of Tajikistan is the next step and attention of the Government of the Republic in satisfying religious beliefs.
It should also be noted that in 1990s, only 27 young people from Tajikistan studied at the Mir Arabi Madrassah in Bukhara and the Higher Islamic Institute in Tashkent. In the same year, a religious educational institution, the Islamic Institute named after Imam Tirmizi, was opened in Dushanbe, where only 142 students received religious education. Currently, the Imam Azam Islamic Institute of Tajikistan has only about 1,000 students, and over 8,000 citizens have received religious education both within the country and abroad since independence.
The Center of Islamic Studies
It is regrettable, that for some time now, various foreign mass media and social media networks have been raising concerns about potential violations of human rights and restrictions on freedom of worship and religion in the Republic of Tajikistan.
It would seem that some opinions are based on information that may not be entirely accurate. A review of the available data suggests that some mass media may not have sufficient information on the issue and may be publishing their reports based on unsubstantiated and biased news.
In particular, issues related to the issuance of laws on the Islamic hijab, Arabic names, traditional Islamic clothing, beards, women and children under 18 going to the mosque, citizens under 40 performing Hajj, education in Islamic schools, the importation of Islamic books without official authorization, etc. have caused discontent among some religious people abroad.
In this context, it would seem that the people at the head of international Islamic organizations may be inclined to believe such false news and to react enthusiastically to both Muslims and leaders of influential Islamic organizations. This could be perceived as a way of completing their religious mission.
In connection with the issuance of the report, we would like to respectfully remind you that the Republic of Tajikistan has not yet adopted a law that would restrict the satisfaction of the religious needs of its citizens. To those who may be uncertain, we would like to clarify that there are approximately 4,000 central, public mosques operating freely in the Republic of Tajikistan. This equates to one mosque for every 2,500 believers, which is a notable indicator when compared to other countries in Central Asia.
Regarding the issue of the so-called “hijab ban”,the international community should be informed of the substance of the matter.
Thus, the attention of the other side should be drawn to the fact that the issue of “banning the veil” in the Republic of Tajikistan does not stand, but on the contrary, at the level of the Head of State, as well as the Law. The Law of the Republic of Tajikistan “On the regulation of traditions, celebrations and ceremonies” in a new version considers the issue of protection of national culture, which is the first such initiative in the Islamic world and deserves praise.
It should be noted that the noble Tajik people, especially our women and mothers, have for centuries worn Shariah-compliant clothing that takes into account local customs and geographical peculiarities. If we pay attention to people’s clothes, we will see that women, girls and mothers in the country wear national clothes consisting of a Tajik national dress, and a headscarf.
This style of dress can still be seen in rural areas of Tajikistan: dress with collar, long sleeves, shawl or gauze on the head. According to scientific ethnographic sources, our people from the ancient times have worn beautiful women’s clothes.
National dress is a pillar of national culture, a relic of the past, which has not lost the essence of its national value over the centuries and will not lose it in the future.
At present, the relevant ministries and departments are preparing national dress for women and girls that meets the requirements of the Islamic religion and the Hanafi school of thought. In this regard, a fatwa was issued by the Council of Ulema of the Islamic Center of Tajikistan “On National Clothing”, which supported wearing of national clothing that meets the requirements of the Islamic religion and recommended that women and girls refrain from wearing clothes foreign to national attire.
Due to the mentioned issues, we bring to everyone’s attention that freedom of religion is fully respected in the Republic of Tajikistan, and contrary to fake news, religious values are respected at the state level.
The history of humanity’s development has repeatedly proved that only in the case of achieving harmony between religious and national-state interests, coordination in the state’s actions to meet people’s religious needs and on the other hand – the activities of religious figures in utilization of religious values in order to protect the social ideals of the state, with the goal to build a genuine civil society, then any country will reach the highest of aspirations, achieve political and social stability, peace and tranquility and, ultimately, progress in all spheres of life.
The meeting of the Founder of Peace and National Unity – the Leader of the Nation, Honorable Emomali Rahmon, with country’ssociety on March 9was aimed at strengthening this idea. The President of the country correctly pointed out that the place of religion in Tajikistan’s society is: “For the Muslims of our Motherland, who are followers of the moderate and tolerant Hanafi Mazhab, Islam is the embodiment of the strength of faith, the perfection of moral principles and the assertion of high spirituality and ethical norms. It should be noted that all world religions, cultures and civilizations of humanity, from ancient times to the modern era, served to form the moral world of mankind, and their main goal is the education of a perfect and good-willed personality”.
The important point in this introductory speech is that Islam, especially the Hanafi school, is the most important factor in strengthening morality and ethics. In other words, no other factor but religion can have a moral impact on people.
It is worth emphasizing that the Head of State explained in detail the causes and factors of many conflicts in today’s world, including serious political events, many religious wars and bloodsheds, countless political, economic and cultural revolutions and conflicts. Indeed, today’s world is such that thousands of people are sacrificed for the victory of one or two states, misguided people are subjected to violence for controversial policies, societies disintegrate and states disappear.
The experience of Syria and Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine, Libya and Palestine should serve as a lesson for any State. In such a dangerous situation, only those states will not be harmed, whose people gather around their state, can distinguish good from bad, do not belong to bigotry, superstition and harmful foreign ideology, and pursue their goals.
In this regard, the Head of the Tajik state correctly noted that “every citizen of the country should deeply understand a very important issue: today’s situation in the world gives an opportunity for existence and development only to those peoples and nations, which are educated, have advanced technological and creative skills, are also united and able in any case to protect their state’s strategic goals, their nation’s existence and not to become a toy in the hands of self-serving political circles”.
As for the issue of repeated pilgrimage and campaigns after Umrah and Hajj pilgrimage, the words of the Leader of the Nation should be paid attention. Today in Tajikistan, every sane person should think about how to find more suitable ways of wealth and rewards’ acquisition, and if the money for repeated pilgrimage is spent on livability, then this will be the best blessing.
Instead of repeating Hajj and spending money on Hajj and Umrah, one should choose charity, the reward of which is permanent. A bridge, a school, a road, a mosque or any place that is used by the masses has a greater and more lasting reward.
Indeed, every good deed has a tenfold reward before God. As written in 160thayat of “Anam”Surah: “Reward man’s good deeds ten times more.”
It is noteworthy that at a meeting with representatives of the public and religious figures on March 9, 2024, the Leader of the Nation recalled that “every people and nation that shows signs of ignorance and superstition in their behavior is deprived of a happy life. This is the danger that threatens the present and future of Tajikistan and the region”. “Superstition is a danger that poses a serious threat to the present and future of Tajikistan and the region.”
In fact, we have witnessed how superstition, fanaticism, ignorance and extremism brought great misfortune to the Tajik people and provoked society into a fratricidal war..
Also at the meeting, specific instructions and recommendationswere made regarding alienation in clothing, that is, alienation of manners and customs of national dressing. The Head of state, in particular, noted that “our Tajik mothers and women had their own special style of national clothing and inherited it to us, each of which, along with beauty and colorfulness, reflects the moral norms and beliefs of our ancient people.”
Furthermore, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, honourable Emomali Rahmon, is one of the few leaders of the countries of the world who, from high international tribunes, advocates for keeping the Islamic religion clean from extremism and radicalism and has consistently defended the Islamic religion. In Tajikistan, the religious practice is completely free, mosques are operating, religious associations are carry out their activities in accordance with their charters.
In Tajikistan, Islam is part of the national culture, and religion and culture complement each other.This is not just a phrase, but the cultural policy of the Tajik government arising from this statement. The Leader of the nation noted at the meeting with activists and religious leaders, which was held on March 9 of this year, regarding the preservation of the culture of veiling, that the issue was only relevant to the women of Tajikistan, and this is a common practice of every head of state. Misinforming regarding this issue is like making an elephant out of a fly as to create an international tragedy out of an internal issue of a state, which covers the cultural and social system of a nation.
The duty of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan is to take necessary measures in the field of religion in order to create favorable social conditions for the younger generation of society, on whom the future development and improvement of Tajik statehood depends, and to protect their rights. Tajikistan is committed to its international obligations and treats the rights of its citizens regarding conscience and religion with great respect. The Republic of Tajikistan strives to promote favorable public relations in the field of religion within the framework of the requirements of the country’s laws and international actsfor the purpose of improving people’s well-being, ensure the rights of citizens to freedom of conscience and religious belief, religious tolerance and the free performance of religious ceremonies.
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