TAJIKISTAN'S SALAFI MUSLIMS GROWING IN NUMBERS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DUSHANBE 001117 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL E.O. 12958: DECL: 7/31/2017 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KIRF TI SUBJECT: TAJIKISTAN'S SALAFI MUSLIMS GROWING IN NUMBERS CLASSIFIED BY: TJACOBSON, AMBASSADOR, STATE, STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In Tajikistan, despite the government's fear of religious extremism which has led it to close down mosques, forbid girls from wearing hijabs in schools, and propose a new law on religion that could curtail practice of all faiths, the Salafi school of Islam is growing in size. In a series of meetings with Salafis and local leaders in the Muslim community, PolOffs learned the difference between Salafis and mainstream Sunni Muslims in Tajikistan. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) PolOffs met with Muhammad Rahmatullo, a leader of the Salafi Muslims July 26. According to Rahmatullo, Salafis are Muslims who practice Islam as it was practiced during the Prophet Mohammad's lifetime. The Salafis, also called Sunnat-val-jamoat (meaning "followers of the Prophet's words and actions"),are conservative Sunni Muslims. The relatively new group began appearing in Tajikistan five to six years ago and many of its original members are young men who have studied abroad in Muslim countries. ¶3. (C) In Tajikistan, the Salafis do not have their own separate mosques, are not registered with the Ministry of Culture, do not have a central office, or consider themselves part of an organized group. Thus far, Rahmatullo reports that the Salafis have not encountered any problems with government authorities. He estimates that Salafis total at least 5,000 members in Dushanbe alone. Although Rahmatullo did not have a number for the entire country, he did say that the number of converts is growing and Salafis include members of civil society across all sectors including the government. ¶4. (C) Bahriddin Karimov, a local Imam who has participated in the U.S. Community Connections exchange program agreed that the Salafi community is quickly growing in Tajikistan and added that Salafis are targeting young people. Karimov noticed an increased number of Salafis who have begun praying at his mosque and realized he has gained a reputation as being a Salafi himself, although he adamantly declares he is not a Salafi. ¶5. (C) Rahmatullo travels throughout Tajikistan to preach the prophet's teachings, usually as an invited guest at a wedding ceremony, circumcision party or other religious gathering. After the July 26 meeting, Rahmatullo handed PolOffs two copies of Russian-language Korans and suggested PolOffs read them for the next meeting. ¶6. (C) Unprompted, Rahmatullo asked PolOffs about the Jehovah's Witnesses problems and knew that the group had problems with the government. He also said that the Jehovah's Witnesses have asked the Salafis not to reach out to Tajiks newly converted to Jehovah's Witnesses because they are vulnerable. Rahmatullo agreed to the request and claimed the two religious groups have reached a mutual understanding regarding their target audiences. He also pointed out that compared to the Salafis, the Jehovah's Witnesses have managed to convert a larger number of Tajiks. SALAFI CUSTOMS: THE DIFFERENCE IS IN THE DETAILS ¶7. (C) According to Salafi teachings, men wear beards and women hijabs. Rahmatullo says that Salafis support education for women and women's contributions to the work force. They also believe that women should attend mosque and point out that Salafi women desire to attend mosque, but cannot due to government restrictions on female attendance. Displaying his conservative customs, Rahmatullo would not shake PolOff's hand when she greeted him. During an initial meeting, Rahmatullo also suggested that he would have found PolOff more attractive as a woman had she been wearing a hijab. ¶8. (SBU) Although their customs are similar to other Sunnis, Salafis also have different praying styles than other Muslims. The difference is in the details. At the end of a prayer, Sunni Muslims in Tajikistan usually softly say the word "omin" to themselves (note: equivalent to the Christian "amen"),whereas Salafis vocalize the word loudly. Salafi Muslims during prayer raise their hands shoulder level. In addition, Tajik Sunnis recite six prayers from the Koran during the five praying periods throughout the day at mosque, but Salafis recite fewer prayers at mosque. APOLITICAL AND ANTI-SHIA DUSHANBE 00001117 002 OF 002 ¶9. (C) Rahmatullo stated that he is not an Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan member. The Islamic Renaissance Party is the leading opposition political party based on religious ideology and welcomes both Sunnis and Shias. He is critical of the Party because, according to Salafi teachings, politics and religion should not mix. Muhiddin Kabiri, Chairman of the Islamic Renaissance Party, met with Rahmatullo in order to better understand the group and also to solicit its member to join the political party. Rahmatullo did not welcome the invitation and refused to join the party. Along the same vein, Salafis disapprove of government interference into religion and view the pending draft law on religion as a sign of government regulation on how Muslims should practice Islam. ¶10. (C) Bahriddin Karimov told PolOff that his mosque's community members have told him they listened to tapes of Rahmatullo's sermons which call for the killing of all Shias. During Rahmatullo's conversations with PolOffs, he never explicitly expressed disdain for Shias. However, he identified the majority of Islamic Renaissance Party leadership, with the exception of Muhiddin Kabiri, as Shias with ties to Iran. BIO NOTES FOR MUHAMMAD RAHMATULLO ¶11. (C) Rahmatullo is 33 years old and was born in a Dushanbe suburb. He is married with three young children. His wife does not work. His father was ill, but according to Rahmatullo, is recovering. He is conversant in English with a noticeable, but not thick accent. He knows Arabic and Urdu. Rahmatullo studied Sharia law in Pakistan from 1992-1999 at the International Islamic University of Islamabad. ¶12. (C) Rahmatullo told PolOffs that he had not originally intended to become a Salafi. Several years ago he had met local Tajiks from the Takfiri group. Fearing that they would use Islam for violence, Rahmatullo decided that he would use the Salafi group and ideas in order to lead the Takfiris and other Tajiks to be better Muslims. COMMENT: ¶13. (C) Amidst a climate of mosque closures and government crackdowns on proselytizing, it is interesting that the government permits Salafis to operate and speak about religion in public venues. It is possible that the government has not yet denounced the Salafis or categorized them as religious extremists is because the State Committee on National Security believes the group is a good counterweight to the influence of the Islamic Renaissance Party. It is less likely that the security apparatus has failed to notice the growth of the Salafi movement. ¶14. (C) Although most Tajiks are not very familiar with the Salafi group, we have found Rahmatullo and other Salafi members open and willing to meet with Embassy staff. At this point in time, there is no evidence that the Salafis are an extremist group. END COMMENT. JACOBSON