Tajikistan shaves 13,000 men's beards to end radicalism

Police in Tajikistan have shaved nearly 13,000 men's beards and closed more than 160 shops selling traditional Muslim clothing last year as part of the country's fight against what it calls "foreign" influences.

Bahrom Sharifzoda, the head of the south-west Khathlon region's police, said at a press conference on Wednesday that the law enforcement services convinced more than 1,700 women and girls to stop wearing headscarves in the Muslim-majority Central Asian country.

The move is seen as an effort to battle radicalism. Tajikistan's secular leadership has long sought to prevent a spillover of radical traditions from neighbouring Afghanistan.

According to unofficial estimates, there are more than 2,000 Tajiks fighting in Syria.

Last week, the country's parliament voted to ban Arabic-sounding "foreign" names as well as marriages between first cousins.
nr.news-republic.com...

Jeezuz H Khrist... do people know that stuff like is what actually fires radicalism as folks will then have the excuse that they are being persecuted and banning Arabic sounding name like wtf?? it's a Muslim majority nation to boot, imagine if members of the U.S government who are majority Christians forbid cross wearings and the like. I do get their concerns but there have to be a better way of going about this.

a reply to: Spider879

They probably know more about the issue than we do.

originally posted by: onequestion
a reply to: Spider879

They probably know more about the issue than we do.

Maybe but in other parts of the world this tend to radicalize people.

a reply to: Spider879
Yes, I fear those beards will grow back with a vengeance.

a reply to: Spider879

Imagine if Christians were running around cutting heads off, committing,mass genocide, rapes,all forms of depravity en masse and wherever their beliefs formed pockets of suicide bombing, innocent killing, cave dwellers surfaced,even among the educated and non impoverished. yes ,I really want people to stop imagining and talk about what's actually happening. Like those Buddhist monks who chased Islamic people down with machetes, on the outside you may say,"wow extremism is just rife everywhere religion is" I say," holy #, if you have Buddhist monks chasing you down with machetes, you have seriously screwed the pooch"

a reply to: Spider879

You may be right, there probably are better ways to ensure the spread of radicalism is halted. But look at these images of 1960s Afghanistan.

www.upworthy.com...

After thirty years of war, Afghanistan is a wreck, with tribalism and radicalism spread by the fires of several horrific decades of violence and chaos. It is an unrecognisable shell of what it used to be. There are more images out there, which show what can happen when a nation is turned to ruin. If I was next door to such a stark reminder of what can happen when things go to hell, then I can imagine I would want to be very pro-active in preventing that.

I agree with you, that closing down traditional stores, and marginalising folk for their mode of dress is not an appropriate solution, and is likely to cause a backlash, Tajikistan does not have a great many options available to it, as far as I am aware, in terms of alternatives to its current course. It shares a border with regions so volatile, that war and dispute take lives by the second, not the hour or day, and has not the infrastructure to prevent some border penetration. If those who arrive from across the border are easily recognisable when compared to those who are resident in Tajikistan, at least those coming across borders to recruit and destabilise will be more likely to be spotted and deported back across the border.

Its a sticky, tricky balance to try and pull.

originally posted by: TechniXcality
a reply to: Spider879

Imagine if Christians were running around cutting heads off, committing,mass genocide, rapes,all forms of depravity en masse and wherever their beliefs formed pockets of suicide bombing, innocent killing, cave dwellers surfaced,even among the educated and non impoverished. yes ,I really want people to stop imagining and talk about what's actually happening. Like those Buddhist monks who chased Islamic people down with machetes, on the outside you may say,"wow extremism is just rife everywhere religion is" I say," holy #, if you have Buddhist monks chasing you down with machetes, you have seriously screwed the pooch"

Maybe those Monks are just as bats@# crazy like their radical Muslims counterparts or Hindus even.

a reply to: Spider879

Maybe...

As it stands religion as a whole teaches counter productive tenants to man, however fundamentalist Islam is the single greatest threat to humanity and it's well being at this juncture in time. So my bets, the munks have geopolitical reasons and aren't justifying their behavior through doctorine and this nuance is important. As for the OP shaving beards and outlawing traditional dress isn't going to stem fundlementalism, quite frankly a two part approach open dialouge (with those willing to talk) and the slaughtering of those who subscribe and are unwilling to talk is the only way to defeat it.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: Spider879

You may be right, there probably are better ways to ensure the spread of radicalism is halted. But look at these images of 1960s Afghanistan.

www.upworthy.com...

After thirty years of war, Afghanistan is a wreck, with tribalism and radicalism spread by the fires of several horrific decades of violence and chaos. It is an unrecognisable shell of what it used to be. There are more images out there, which show what can happen when a nation is turned to ruin. If I was next door to such a stark reminder of what can happen when things go to hell, then I can imagine I would want to be very pro-active in preventing that.

I agree with you, that closing down traditional stores, and marginalising folk for their mode of dress is not an appropriate solution, and is likely to cause a backlash, Tajikistan does not have a great many options available to it, as far as I am aware, in terms of alternatives to its current course. It shares a border with regions so volatile, that war and dispute take lives by the second, not the hour or day, and has not the infrastructure to prevent some border penetration. If those who arrive from across the border are easily recognisable when compared to those who are resident in Tajikistan, at least those coming across borders to recruit and destabilise will be more likely to be spotted and deported back across the border.

Its a sticky, tricky balance to try and pull.

Great counter point and I can't argue the before and after pics in the link either, I think I am beginning to be swayed somewhat.

Shaving of a beard is actually a great insult to radicals. It means 'feminizing' them.

For those that are wondering

originally posted by: TechniXcality
a reply to: Spider879

Imagine if Christians were running around cutting heads off, committing,mass genocide, rapes,all forms of depravity en masse and wherever their beliefs formed pockets of suicide bombing, innocent killing, cave dwellers surfaced,even among the educated and non impoverished. yes ,I really want people to stop imagining and talk about what's actually happening. Like those Buddhist monks who chased Islamic people down with machetes, on the outside you may say,"wow extremism is just rife everywhere religion is" I say," holy #, if you have Buddhist monks chasing you down with machetes, you have seriously screwed the pooch"

That's how America happen

Christians were murdering native Americans


From the onset of the Christian europeans coming to the Americas. There is an estimate of 50 to 60 million indians were killed by these Christians. With about another 100 to 120 million killed by smallpox brought to the Americas with the Christians.

rationalwiki.org...

a reply to: Layaly

Talking about Americas roots that were evil or morally bankrupt, does not do us much good does it? This is called a red herring, and has nothing to do with the threat in this day and age does it? I know my history, do you know our reality?

Shave a Salaf's beard = Someone is gonna die

a reply to: Spider879

Don't get me wrong, I think that dictating appearance is a pretty extreme measure, and one that has some serious potential drawbacks as well. It interferes with personal identity, individual right to freedom of expression, religious belief and practice, and so on, and if my government were to behave in the same manner toward a minority within our nation, I would go about thumping my governments representatives in the nuts until some sense prevailed.

But, despite blowhards and spineless bastards in the press uttering to the contrary, we are not next door to an active warzone where even the most innocent and fair of persons has to be armed in order to be remotely protected against marauders, kidnappers, zealots and paramilitaries.

More than anything else, I hope that Tajikistan's people continue to enjoy as much freedom and peace as they can muster, and that what has been wrought upon their neighbours in Afghanistan does not end up eventually overrunning their nation too. The proxy wars and resultant militancy have taken enough victims already. One was too many.

a reply to: ladyinwaiting


You had it right the first time, I don't know why you withdrew!!

originally posted by: TechniXcality
a reply to: ladyinwaiting


You had it right the first time, I don't know why you withdrew!!

Thank you.

this is a policy meant to raise public opinion among those who support him.
it will increase unrest, and when an event takes place(global depression) the radicals will strike.

The question is do you do nothing and let there numbers rise as a trickle
or be proactive and dump gasoline on the match.

The thing is if a terrorist attack happens and he does nothing he gets gets kicked out of office by his own would be supporters.

It's difficult to say what to do before radicalization. once radicalized the proper policy is the boot, in the butt and on the neck.

a reply to: TechniXcality

Reality is you can't stop them

Go back to army and get yourself killed

Or pack up and go to your wodden cabin and shut the door on this f*** world..
I prefer you to be there .. chasing thunderstorms .. That actually helped someone

a reply to: Spider879

Welcome to Quebec Canada just north of the USA ...