Shul Bulldozed In Tajikistan Highlights Religious Intolerance In Country

Dushanbe, Tajikistan -- Religious persecution is continuing in Tajikistan, where a Shul was demolished by bulldozers. The Jewish community did not receive any compensation. Religious communities in Tajikistan say that life is becoming more difficult in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe.

Payam Foroughi, Human Dimension Officer of the Office in Tajikistan of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), said “among the issues of concern has been the lack of transparency in the process of forced evictions, confiscations, and destruction of properties." He added: "It is also unfortunate that in nearly all cases where the city government has offered alternative property to residents, the value of such properties has been far less than that of the homes confiscated".

The leader of Dushanbe's Jewish community, R’ Mikhail Abdurakhmanov, said they have not had any Minyanim since their building was demolished, and he reported that they “do not have a place to hold our services and cannot afford to buy one either."