No religious activities beyond state-run and controlled institutions are allowed.
bottom"The good news is that, despite all the prohibitions, the church in Tajikistan is growing in numbers and, God willing, will continue to grow."
– Tajik church leader
No religious activities beyond state-run and controlled institutions are allowed in Tajikistan. Historical Christian communities such as the Russian Orthodox Church, which makes up the majority of Christians in the country, are largely tolerated by the regime, which doesn’t them as a threat as they tend not to reach out to Tajiks. However, registering non-Orthodox or non-Catholic Christian groups is effectively
impossible, making all religious activities carried out by these groups technically illegal.
In 2022, the government announced that no new churches could be registered. Church services are often disrupted and Christians risk harassment and arrest for holding private prayer meetings or possessing “illegal” religious material. Children are prohibited from participating in public religious activities.
Christians who come to faith from a Muslim background can face additional pressure from their family and local community to renounce their faith, based on the belief that a true Tajik can only be Muslim.
Christians throughout Tajikistan face hostility from the authorities. In rural regions, Christians face heightened levels of pressure from their families and local communities. Within Tajikistan’s traditional Islamic culture, female converts from Islam are particularly vulnerable to discrimination and violent persecution. If their conversion is discovered, female converts run the risk of being put under house arrest, beaten, rejected, sexually assaulted, or forced to marry a Muslim.
– That the government will ease their tight grip on religious freedom.
– That believers from Muslim backgrounds will not lose hope or faith in Jesus.
– That church leaders and local partners will have time to rest to avoid burn out.
Open Doors strengthens persecuted Christians in Central Asia by providing Bibles and Christian literature, biblical and vocational training, medical and social care, socio-economic development projects, and children’s, youth, and women’s ministries.
