As reported, officials and civil servants in Tajikistan have been tasked with going door-to-door and holding explanatory talks with the population on radicalism and extremism. In the southern Khatlon region, 1,800 civil servants, including teachers, healthcare workers, and local council members, have been assigned to carry out these talks.
Officials claim the primary goal of these conversations is to prevent young people from becoming radicalized. During the meetings, they discuss topics like promoting traditional women’s clothing instead of hijabs, which authorities associate with radicalism. They also ask about relatives living abroad who might be at risk of becoming extremists and encourage young people to join the army.
In the first seven months of this year, campaign groups visited over 620,000 houses.
At the same time, campaign groups film their interactions with people and publish reports on social networks.
Critics of the government in this regard claim that officials’ door-to-door visits are nothing more than intrusions into people’s homes and interferences in their personal affairs.
However, officials deny this; they say that the chosen method only allows for identifying the “most vulnerable” families and is necessary to combat radicalism among young people.
“The issue of radicalization in the region is alarming, especially the joining of young people to various extremist movements. There are many cases,” said Davlatali Said, the governor of Khatlon region.
