Tajik president sharply criticised the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan

Emomali Rakhmonov, Tajikistan's president, has sharply criticised the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan.

When addressing the second conference of the Tajikistan's National Unity and Revival movement, he said that "contrary to the law on political parties, some members of the said party are engaged in indoctrinating people tending towards extremism, which could lead to a split in society.

The Tajik leader expressed his concern over the fact that the number of mosques had been rapidly growing nearly all over the country of late, and that they had been turned into centres of religious propaganda. In the Isfarin district alone, with its population of 200,000 people, 192 mosques have been built over the past few years, whereas the law permits one mosque per 15,000 residents. Members of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan often serve as Moslem clergymen at these mosques, which "is a crude violation of the law on political parties of Tajikistan." Emomali Rakhmonov also expressed dissatisfaction with the work of the public council of the Tajikistan's National Unity and Revival movement. He said that ordinary people in many regions had no idea of the existence, aims and tasks of this movement, which has a negative effect on patriotic education of young people.

The Tajik president also criticised international and non-governmental organisations operating in Tajikistan. In violation of Tajik laws, some of them set up political parties and media, which have "rather dubious aims" in his opinion.