Tajik Leader Rails Against the Veil
Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon is famous for regulating the personal behavior of his citizens. Sometimes locals applaud his directives, such as limiting attendance at weddings (which can be...
View ArticleTrouble at the Hagia Sophia
A plan by a group of some 200 Orthodox Christians to hold a group prayer in Istanbul's Hagia Sophia, the Byzantine church turned mosque turned museum, is shaping up as a major headache for Turkish...
View ArticleTurkmenistan Limits Flight of Faithful to Mecca
As in past years, the Turkmen government has limited the number of Muslims who have been allowed to fly to Saudi Arabia to participate in the haj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the semi-official news...
View ArticleBishkek Churches Suffer Rash of Violent Robberies
By some estimates, 20 Protestant churches have been robbed, often violently, in northern Kyrgyzstan recently. A typical raid happened on November 4, the AKIpress crime blotter reported:About 10 unknown...
View ArticleThe First Turkish Playboy Covergirl Creates Waves
Sila Sahin, a German-born Turkish actress, has made history by being the first Turkish woman to pose for the cover of Playboy. But her move has not been welcomed, both by her family and some Muslim...
View ArticleKazakhstan: Governor Goes Way of the Medicis
When people talk about cozy relationships among the powerful in Central Asia, they often go on to enumerate the earthly pleasures that come with them -- luxury homes, exotic vacations, Swiss bank...
View ArticlePhoto: Waiting for a Miracle Worker
Worshippers wait outside the Russian Orthodox Church in Bishkek for the acclaimed Tikhvin Icon of Our Lady to arrive from Russia. Believed to work miracles, the icon is visiting Kyrgyzstan for the...
View ArticleTurkey Photo: Fallout from the Syrian Conflict
An Alawite woman prays in a shrine in Samandag, Turkey on July 13. Alawites, who in Turkey are sometimes called Arab Alevis, compose a small minority in the country. Alawites in Samandag said that the...
View ArticleKyrgyz 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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