Tajikistan: children barred from attending church
Tajik authorities implementing a new religion law are barring children from attending religious services and have burned thousands of calendars with Bible verses.
According to World Watch Monitor (WWM), amendments to Tajikistan’s Religion Law came into force in January last year, giving the state greater control over religious education, and increase the amount of information religious organisations must pass on to the state.
Now WWM reports, that the
State Committee for Religious Affairs and Regulation of Traditions, Ceremonies and Rituals (SCRA) now demands “all kinds of information on the number of members, finances and activities”,
a member of a religious community told Oslo-based news agency Forum 18 anonymously, fearing reprisals.
They also gather information about the number of children under the age of 10 attending religious meetings, using the Religion Law and the Parental Responsibility Law to put pressure on parents and religious communities.
The Central Asian country is 29th on the 2019 Open Doors World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to live as a Christian.
You can read the full article here.
