Rahmon, Religion and Tajik Culture
Rahmon is a Sunni Muslim and has performed the hajj when he went to Mecca in March 1997. He has called for closer ties with other Muslim nations in the region, notably the Persian speaking nations of Iran and Afghanistan. His reply to the critics of the election standards of the 2006 Tajikistani presidential elections was:
| “ | Tajikistan is a country where more than 99 percent of the population is Muslim. We have a different culture, and this has to be taken account of. | ” |
The international community has repeatedly criticized the Rahmon administration's record on human rights and press freedom.
Tajikistan marked 2009 as the year to commemorate the Sunni Muslim jurist Abu Hanifa, as the nation hosted an international symposium that drew scientific and religious leaders. The construction of one of the largest mosques in the world, funded by Qatar, was announced in October 2009. The mosque is planned to be built in Dushanbe and construction is said to be completed by 2014.
During a 2010 Organisation of the Islamic Conference session hosted in Dushanbe, Rahmon spoke against what he deemed was the misuse of Islam toward political ends, noting, "Terrorism, terrorists, have no nation, no country, no religion." Rahmon added, "Using the name 'Islamic terrorism' only discredits Islam and dishonors the clean and harmless religion of Islam."
Read more about this topic: Emomalii Rahmon
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