On 24 November 2015, the Head of the Georgian Muslims Union, Tariel Nakaidze, on air on Rustavi 2, discussed the rights of Georgian Muslims and the attitude of the Georgian state towards Georgia’s Muslim population. Mr Nakaidze stated: "We want a mufti to be a representative of the Muslim community and not the state as it is today. How could it be possible for a state to remove and appoint muftis?"
FactChecklooked into studying this topic.
In the first place, FactCheckstrove to understand precisely which organisation’s responsibility it is to elect muftis and sheikhs. At the present moment, Georgia has east and west muftis (representatives of Sunni Muslims) and sheikhs (representatives of Shia Muslims).
Georgian Muslims, in general, and the ethnic Azerbaijani population, in particular, are considered as parishioners of the Caucasian Muslims Office. This Office is located in Baku and is still led by Hajji Allahshukur Pashazadeh. The Supreme Religious Council of the Caucasian People (one of the organs of the Caucasian Muslims Office), founded in 1992, was an organ responsible for the confirmation of imams in Georgia, the assessment of the state of mosques and the development of spiritual policy. The Council also used to determine the quotas (pilgrims should have been in possession of a valid permit with Allahshukur Pashazadeh’s seal) of Georgian Muslims willing to go to the Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca).
In 2011, a new legal entity of public law, the Georgian Muslims Office, was established which resulted in the Caucasian Muslims Office effectively losing its jurisdiction and influence both upon Muslims residing in Georgia as well as upon the development of spiritual policy. The Georgian Muslims Office’s jurisdiction covers: every active mosque on the territory of Georgia, Muslim clergymen and other Islamic religious establishments. The Office also covers those Muslim citizens of Georgia who live abroad and are not under the jurisdiction of other local Islamic organisations and Muslim citizens of Georgia who live abroad and wish to remain under the Georgian Muslims Office.
The Office aims to raise religious awareness in the Muslim community, establish and look after Islamic schools and kindergartens and take care of Muslim preaching houses and religious buildings.
On 9 January 2014, by the decision of the Georgian Muslims Office, the muftiate was divided into two halves: eastern and western muftiates. Before 2014, both Georgian and Azerbaijani Sunnis used to have only one religious leader.
The Office’s religious council (shura) elects the sheikh and the muftis for eastern and western Georgia through a voting procedure. The candidates are required to hold Georgian citizenship, have the highest theological education and possess sufficient experience in religious management. Sheikhs and muftis have very important duties and obligations. They are responsible for the reconstruction and repair of mosques, they appoint imams/akhoonds and mullahs and they sign the decisions of the religious council, among others. According to Georgian legislation, the state appoints neither sheikhs nor muftis. However, Tariel Nakaidze believes that the state interferes in a non-formal manner in the elections of these religious leaders.
FactCheckinterviewed Vagip Akperov, the first sheikh elected by the Georgian Muslims Union. Mr Akperov occupied this position until the beginning of 2014 and was later replaced by Ramin Idigov. He believes that the state and, in particular, the Ministry of Internal Affairs together with the State Agency for Religious Issues were behind his resignation. Mr Akperov fully shares and confirms Tariel Nakaidze’s position that the state actively interferes in the election process of sheikhs and muftis because it wants to have influence in Kvemo Kartli and upon the Muslim community, in general.
As stated by Vagip Akperov, he was summoned to the Ministry of Internal Affairs on 27 December 2013 where he was indirectly asked to submit his resignation from his position as sheikh. Mr Akperov notified the staff of the Public Defender’s Office of Georgia about this meeting which was preceded by blackmail, threatening letters and other activities. He also stated that there was a year-long period when he was being told that his position as sheikh would be ending soon. He subsequently resigned. He is of the opinion that the new sheikh, Ramin Idigov, is a complete stranger to Georgia’s Muslim community.
Further, Vagip Akperov stated that the establishment of the State Agency for Religious Issues is a rude intervention into the field of religion because the Agency actively interferes in both the selection and appointment of spiritual leaders through the cooperation of various secret services. He added that the essential criterion is political expediency and if a mullah or an imam is suspected of supporting the previous government, the continuation of his tenure becomes doubtful.
On 22 November 2014, Jemal Paksadze resigned from the position of mufti. Mr Paksadze stated: "I resigned from my position voluntarily due to poor health conditions. I have been hospitalised twice recently after heart attacks. There has not been any attempt to put pressure upon me. At 11 o’clock on the morning of 22 November, we held a meeting of the religious council where the mufti of Khelvachauri, Beglar Kamashidze, was elected as mufti of Georgia by a majority of votes."
Tariel Nakaidze assessed Jemal Paksadze’s resignation as a blunt intervention of the state and said that it had been the decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Mr Nakaidze stated: "The state acted wrongly once again when Jemal Paksadze resigned and a new mufti was appointed against the will of the Muslim parishioners."
Conclusion
Neither the Government of Georgia nor any state agency of legislative act officially regulates the procedures of the appointment and dismissal of a sheikh, mufti or any other clergymen. Additionally, there are plenty of rumours and statements in this regard and, therefore, a great deal of questions as well.
Obviously, FactCheck was not in a position to make a conclusion upon the basis of unconfirmed facts and statements. Nevertheless, due to the importance of the topic, we decided not to overlook it and provide our readers with certain information. Therefore, FactCheck leaves Tariel Nakaidze’s statement WITHOUT VERDICT.
