Tajikistan's top Islamic leader has not been seen in public since an unprecedented stabbing attack last week that witnesses say left him with a knife wound on his forehead.
Police seem to be downplaying the September 11 assault on Saidmukarram Abdulqodirzoda, head of the state-backed Ulema Council of the Islamic Center -- the highest Islamic authority in the predominantly Muslim country -- describing it as an act of "hooliganism."
The police said in a statement that he was "lightly wounded" in the attack and was discharged from hospital on the same day after being examined by doctors.
But many Tajiks doubt the attack in Dushanbe's central mosque shortly after the afternoon prayers was a random act of hooliganism.
Critics suspect the assault is linked to the Ulema Council's role in supporting the staunchly secular government's increasingly restrictive policies on religion.
Authorities said the perpetrator is in custody but have not released any details about him or his motives or any affiliations. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.
Eyewitnesses told RFE/RL that a knife-wielding young man stabbed Abdulqodirzoda in the courtyard of the packed mosque as he was speaking to mosque-goers after the prayers.
"Abdulqodirzoda sustained a knife wound on his forehead. Mosque-goers immediately subdued the attacker. Police were on the scene very quickly because the district police headquarters are located nearby," an eyewitness said on condition of anonymity.
A source close to the matter said the attacker is a resident of the Dushanbe suburbs but did not give further details.
Contacted by RFE/RL late on September 11, Abdulqodirzoda, 61, said in the brief phone call that he was "doing fine" and that there was "nothing to worry about."
Police and other government officials declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing investigation.
Independent In Name Only
The absence of official information has led to speculation about reasons behind the attack on Abdulqodirzoda, who has led the council since 2010. He is also referred to as the mufti, a term used in Central Asia for a country's top religious leader.
Many Tajiks believe Abdulqodirzoda may have been targeted for his and the council's unequivocal support for government policies that are widely criticized for restricting religious freedom.
In a recent move, Abdulqodirzoda angered many Muslims -- both in Tajikistan and internationally -- by backing the authorities' long-standing and unpopular campaign against "clothes alien to Tajik culture," a term used by officials to describe Islamic clothing.
In July, the council issued a fatwa -- a religious edict -- against "black clothing," a Tajik euphemism for the Islamic hijab.
The fatwa came just days after parliament officially outlawed "alien garments" following nearly two decades of an unofficial ban on the hijab in schools and the workplace.
Muhamadjon Kabirov, chief editor of the Tajik-language news website AzdaTV, which is based in Poland, said he believes the motive behind the attack on Abdulqodirzoda reflects a discontent in society with the council and its chief.
"Tajik society sees the mufti as a government official, not a religious leader," Kabirov said. "People believe that his aim is not to defend citizens' religious liberty. On the contrary, they believe his mission is to promote the government's policies, which include undermining people's religious traditions."
In the northern province of Sughd, a schoolteacher who requested anonymity told RFE/RL the attack may have been carried out "by someone who is angry with the mufti's work, but it does not mean all people support such acts."
"Personally, I don't trust the mufti or the Islamic Council, but I don't believe that violence is the answer," the teacher said. "People are condemning this attack even if they are unhappy with him."
The Ulema Council is, legally, an independent body. But like the other official religious bodies in Central Asian countries it operates under strict government control.
Tajik authorities also tightly control the operation of all mosques. Imams are appointed with the tacit agreement of local government officials.
The council and government officials often conduct tests they say are aimed at evaluating the imams' knowledge of religious and state matters.
All recommendations and edicts by the council -- the only fatwa-issuing body in Tajikistan -- reflect the government's policies. The religious edicts are nonbinding but have symbolic significance.
In 2018, the council recommended the workers at the construction site of the Roghun hydropower plant "postpone" their fasting during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
The council said the dawn-to-dusk fasting puts a strain on the well-being of the workers engaged in tough physical labor. The massive Roghun is an important strategic project for the government.
In 2014, the council announced that revolting against authorities and cooperating with domestic or foreign organizations -- including media outlets whose goal is to "destabilize" the country is considered a "major sin."
Abdulqodirzoda has said the "the duty of Islamic figures is to promote moderate Islam that wishes peace and stability for all."
