177 unregistered mosques face closure in Kyrgyzstan's Osh region
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 30 September 2011 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 177 unregistered mosques face closure in Kyrgyzstan's Osh region, 30 September 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e9ea76c24.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 30, 2011
A new mosque building in Osh city in Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK – Nearly one-quarter of the mosques in Kyrgyzstan's southern region of Osh face closure because they are not officially registered, RFE/RL's Kyrgyz Service reports.
Kurbanaly Uzakov, the chairman of the government's State Commission on Religious Affairs, told RFE/RL that his commission filed a request with local officials in the Osh region to close 177 local mosques.
Officials with the Osh regional Muslim directorate, or Kazyiat, told RFE/RL that they do not see any threat from the unregistered mosques' operations, adding that the imams at these mosques have been appointed by local religious leaders.
Kyrgyzstan's southern Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Batken regions traditionally have deep Islamic roots.
The Osh region alone has 722 mosques, including those facing closure.
Link to original story on RFE/RL website