Officers of the State Security Ministry (MSS) closed down a Sunni mosque earlier this year because one of its leaders refused to put a copy of the Ruhnama (Book of the Soul), President Saparmurat Niyazov's book of spiritual writings, on the same stand as the Koran during Friday prayers, Forum 18 News Service has learnt.
| Turkmenbashi felt the need to express himself. Naturally, it's the greatest literary work of all time... |
A leading member of the mosque was twice interrogated by the secret police for several days, sources told Forum 18. The sources insisted that neither the individual nor the mosque — nor the town in which it is located — be identified for fear of further reprisals against those concerned. The Ruhnama, which officials have likened to the Koran or the Bible, plays a significant role in President Niyazov's massive cult of personality and is compulsorily imposed on schools and the wider public. All imams in large mosques are required to put the Ruhnama alongside the Koran during prayers and sources have told Forum 18 that most imams reluctantly comply for fear of being punished or jailed.
| It's kind of like bowing down to the emperor's statue used to be, before Constantine and that thing at the Milvian bridge... |
Trouble started for the mosque when a three-member television crew arrived during prayers and said they were to prepare a report about how the mosque was "abiding by state policy" and "supporting the current political system and the president's way". They explained that all they needed was to make a short video report of Friday prayers showing that the people in the mosque were using two books during prayers, the Koran and the Ruhnama. The mosque leaders strongly refused to allow the report, declaring that it would contradict the teachings of Islam which prohibits the use of any materials other than the Koran while praying. Several days later, one leading member of the mosque was detained and taken to the MSS. There he was repeatedly questioned for three days about why he refused to allow the Ruhnama to be placed in the mosque.
| There are times when I can even agree with the Sunnis... |
He was released only after he caved agreed to the report being made.
At least he avoided being thrown to the lions...
Gundogar also notes that Turkmenbashi's signed a new law on religious activity, banning more unlicensed sects.Turkmenistan already had the tightest controls on religious activity before this new law came into force. All Shia Muslim, Baptist, Pentecostal, Adventist, Armenian Apostolic, Lutheran, Hare Krishna, Jehovah's Witness, Baha'i and Jewish activity was already treated as illegal. Believers have been fined, detained, beaten, threatened, sacked from their jobs, had their homes confiscated, banished to remote parts of the country or deported in retaliation for involvement in unregistered religious activity. |
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