[wvns] Tajikistan jails 56 Muslim activists

Tajikistan jails 56 Muslim activists for dawah activities
http://en.rian.ru/world/20100310/158149624.html

Tajikistan's top court on Wednesday sentenced 56 followers of Tablighi Jamaat (TJ), a radical Muslim group, for extremist activities in the Central Asian state.

"Twenty-three defendants were given jail terms of between 3 and 6 years, while the remaining 33 individuals were fined between [$8,000 and $16,000]," a court spokesman said.

The members of the group were arrested in a mosque in Dushanbe in December 2009. The trial began several weeks later. It was held behind closed doors at a Dushanbe pretrial center.

Tajik authorities often jail and sentence members from TJ, as well as from Hizb-ut-Tahrir, both of which are banned in the country.

TJ is a transnational movement whose official aim is a spiritual revival of Muslims. Members of the group say they inspire people to refrain from sin and follow the true path of Islam.

TJ was founded in 1926 as an independent movement in India. The group began its expansion in 1946, and within two decades has spread its activities to Southwest and Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. Concerns about TJ role have risen after 9/11 attacks on the United States. TJ was outlawed as an extremist group in Tajikistan in 2006.

TJ gained international media attention when it announced plans of building the largest mosque in Europe in Dewsbury, Britain.

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