Photo caption: At the meeting in the MBU. Photo by the press service of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan
In the first eight months of 2024, eight imam-khatibs (preachers) and ten of their deputies were dismissed from Tashkent mosques. They made mistakes in their activities and performed their job duties improperly, according to the press service of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan (MBU).
It is specified that during the reporting period, disciplinary action was taken against four more clerics for similar misconduct. The statistics were announced during a critical-analytical meeting of the capital's imam-khatibs, chaired by the head of the MBU, Mufti Sheikh Nuriddin Kholiknazar.
Kholiknazar sharply criticized Tashkent imams, stating that some of them «do not take their main task seriously, do not make sufficient efforts to meet the needs of believers, and also violate executive discipline.» The Mufti emphasized that the board took measures against clerics who did not comply with established procedures, requirements of employment contracts, and job descriptions.
The head of the MBU also called on all mosque preachers to improve their activities, work on enhancing their skills and knowledge, be worthy servants of Sharia, and perform their duties with «fervent love, piety, and devotion."
