Leader of Tajik Salafists has been arrested
Police in Tajikistan have arrested Tajik Salafists’ leader Muhammadi Rahmatullo
Police in Tajikistan have arrested Tajik Salafists’ leader Muhammadi Rahmatullo.
The 43-year-old Muhammadi Rahmatullo, who is better known as Mullah Muhammadi, faces three charges, including one for inciting religious enmity.
In January 2015, local media cited his relatives as saying that he had been detained by police, but the Interior Ministry later denied the report.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, locally known as Ozodi, yesterday reported that It should be noted that Muhammadi Rahmatullo is known for his anti-islamic resistence party.
He further stated that the islamic resistence party was to blame for the devastating civil war of the 1990s and said the party had links to Iran. He suggested that the IRP should be disbanded.
Ozodi cited Tajik expert Faridoun Hodi zodais saying, “The struggle against the IRP was a certain program of Salafists.
Salafists consider Iran to be suuporting the IRP.” Since Salafists themselves are financed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other Arabic states, they are struggling against all forces cooperating with Iran, the expert noted.
“One could see that Salafists have been working against the IRP and the government has been happy about that, but their struggle was nothing more than an ideological struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” Hodizoda said.
Meanwhile, EurasiNet.org reports that some local observers have speculated that a new wave of repression may have been initiated against the Salafists out of spite following President Emomali Rahmon’s failure to secure more generous financial aid from Saudi Arabia during a recent visit to the country.
