No religious activities beyond state-run and controlled institutions are allowed.
bottom"They beat us, but we don't die. Pray that our fortitude will be a good example for the youth."
– Khasan
Tajikistan is a former Soviet state. Despite now officially having freedom of religion, the reality is different. The state still imposes restrictions on religious gatherings and activities—mainly to contain Islamist extremism. But the rules and surveillance affect Christians too, and the state is becoming increasingly wary of and hostile toward them.
There are many elements to the Christian life that are illegal without a permit, from holding a religious meeting to printing religious literature. Anyone under age 18 is not allowed to attend church services, and Christians are not allowed to share their faith.
In recent years, church meetings have increasingly been raided by the authorities, with church members being interrogated for hours at a time and pressured to inform on others. They can be detained, fined, or imprisoned. As a result, the risk of persecution has driven many Christians underground.
There are strict laws about religious education, so training church leaders is a problem. Much of the country is Muslim, and believers who come from this background face rejection, humiliation, and possible violence from their families and communities.
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.
– Pray for believers under surveillance to be able to worship together without fear.
– Pray government officials’ hearts change so they stop infringing on religious freedom.
– Ask God to protect evangelists and other Christian workers.
Open Doors strengthens the church in Central Asia by providing relief aid, Bibles, ministry training, prayer support, vocational training and business microloans, as well as projects such as rehab centres.
