Kyrgyz Religion Expert Gets Knifed, Cries Islamic State
A self-styled expert on religious matters in Kyrgyzstan with a penchant for talking up the threat of Islamic radicalism has been attacked by unknown assailants, local outlets have reported.Kadyr...
View ArticleKyrgyzstan: Shock Billboard Sparks Religious Debate
Residents of Kyrgyzstan’s capital woke up on July 13 to find stark and, to some, provocative billboards on some of the city’s main thoroughfares.The huge poster shows three groups of women in a variety...
View ArticleTajikistan Draws Up List of Hijab-Wearers
Police in Tajikistan have taken to drawing up lists of women known to wear the hijab in a fresh measure to combat signs of what they perceive as excess Islamic piety.Asia-Plus news last week cited the...
View ArticleKyrgyzstan: Religious Authorities Order Closure of Illegal Madrasas
A representative for the Spiritual Directorate of the Muslims of Kyrgyzstan has said that four madrasas have been shut down over the past week for failing to obtain proper authorization.Kushtarbek...
View ArticleKazakhstan: Law on Religious Clothing in the Works
The government in Kazakhstan looks set to intensify its war on what it dubs “non-traditional Islam” by drafting laws banning clothing and other attributes adopted by ultra-orthodox Muslims.Almaty TV...
View ArticleUzbekistan: President Appeals to Muslims "Gone Astray"
The custom in Uzbekistan has for many years been to speak about suspected radical Islamists in terms of sinister plots to sow death and destruction.Accordingly, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s public...
View ArticleJehovah’s Witness Delegation Visits Uzbekistan
A international delegation of representatives from the Jehovah’s Witness traveled to Uzbekistan in a unprecedented visit for a meeting with officials with the state religions agency. As reported by the...
View ArticleKazakhstan: Language Students Land in Egyptian Jails
When a group of students from Kazakhstan traveled to Egypt to improve on their Arabic language skills, the last thing they could have expected was to land up in a Cairo jail.The almost two-week ordeal...
View ArticleKyrgyzstan: Court Releases Writer Accused of Offending Muslims
A court in Kyrgyzstan has released a writer previously jailed on charges of incitement to religious hatred, downgrading his four-year jail term to a suspended sentence.The Bishkek city court ruling on...
View ArticleUzbekistan Allows Call to Prayer on Loudspeakers
The capital of Uzbekistan has for the first time in more than a decade begun ringing to the sound of the call to prayer.The last time the Kukcha mosque in Tashkent blared the summons over its...
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