According to Radio Farda and RFE/RL’s Tajik Services, distribution of books of Khomeini, founder of Iranian Republic, has been banned In Tajikistan and these books have been collected.
In an interview, Mahtab Vahidirad of Radio Farda has asked Mumin Ahmadi, reporter of RFE/RL’s Tajik Services, about details of the news:
Mumin Ahmadi: In Tajikistan, there is an institute called “Committee of Religious Affairs and Regulation of National Traditions and Rituals”. Each year, this committee prepares a list of banned books in Tajikistan. Importing these books is banned, and people are not allowed to study them. Recently, we have been informed that Khomeini’s treatise on “Fiqh” [Jurisprudence] has been put on this list. Moreover, Tajikistan officials have said that these books must be collected from Iranian Republic’s Cultural Consultation Centers in three cities of Tajikistan and the library of Khomeini Relief Committee.
Mahtab Vahidirad: Ahmadi, what are the reasons for collecting Khomeini’s treatise in Tajikistan?
Mumin Ahmadi: The officials have not openly given any explanations in this regard, because, as they say, they don’t want to add fuel to differences that already exist between Iran’s government and Tajikistan. However, they have unofficially said that this is because the treatise of Khomeini is not compatible with Tajikistan’s official doctrine, the “Hanafi”, and would confuse the reader since it contradicts with his beliefs.
Mahtab Vahidirad: How was the reception of Khomeini’s treatise in Tajikistan? And how will people react to collecting these books?
Mumin Ahmadi: These books by Khomeini, I think, were very few. They were only available only in Cultural Consultation Centers with open libraries that would freely suggest books to people.
I don’t think there were many of them available there. But, the main point is that nobody can import these books to Tajikistan and recommend them to people. I think people were not aware of these books, and they were recommended only to a small circle of researchers that could have accessed them in Cultural Consultation Centers and studied them.
Mahtab Vahidirad: The news revealed that Cultural Consultation Centers have been closed in different parts of Tajikistan. Is that true? If so, why?
Mumin Ahmadi: Yes. The Iranian embassy in Tajikistan said it was Iran’s decision to close these centers. Tajikistan’s Ministry of Justice that gives permits for activities of foreign organizations in the country said that Khomeini Relief Committee and other institutes affiliated to Iran – of course, it did not specifically mention Cultural Consultation Centers –have a problem with their licenses, and that is why they temporarily do not have permission to work until they fix their legal status.
