DUSHANBE, 08.11.2017. /NIAT “Khovar”/. As previously was reported, the responsibility for the recent terrorist attack in New York was assumed by ISIL (banned in Tajikistan). This again demonstrates the serious threat posed by this terrorist organization to the whole world, including to Tajikistan, which is part of the world community. Especially at a time when the teaching, activities, and aims of ISIL and the extremist-terrorist organization of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (banned in Tajikistan) coincides. About this, an article was published in the newspaper “Faraj”, which today we decided to reprint in English translation.

Over the last years, the whole world has been shocked by the brutality of an extremist and terrorist group of the so-called “Islamic State” or ISIL. Every day, people around the world are horrified by the scenes of a particularly brutal group killing of innocent people, the burning or blowing up people, recording video on killing people and enjoyment of watching them, teaching kids to slaughtering, building grave-like prisons, introducing slavery and slave trade, the destruction of people on their ethnic and religious affiliations and thousands of other crimes committed by ISIL.

On watching these scenes, any sober citizen of Tajikistan will involuntarily say well that our people are far from these horrors and the atmosphere of peace and freedom reigns in our country. When I see these scenes on TV, I thank a hundred times that the way of ISIL was timely prevented in Tajikistan and our state banned the activity of ISIL on time!

The organization called itself the IRPT in Tajikistan, but its activities showed that the differences between them are only in the name. All facts and evidence prove that the IRPT is the same ISIL and ISIL – the same IRPT. The same ideology, same aim, one task, one way of acting, or as they say “one handwriting”. Only depending on the country of location: the name of ISIL has the words of “Iraq and the Levant” and the name of IRPT — the word of “Tajikistan”.

In the last few months, the Tajik scientist Islomiddin Sharifov in two of his articles had proved that the terrorist and extremist organization IRPT is a continuation of the “Ikhwan al-muslimin” (“Brothers of Muslims») and a copy of ISIL. A prominent figure of the NIAT “Khovar” Akrami Sang researched on this issue and had fully proved that the IRPT is a continuator of the work of the international extremist organization “Ikhwan al-muslimin”. However, due to the fact that the articles of these Tajik scientists had a scientific and logical nature, some foreign members of the IRPT, especially the main coordinator between the IRPT and their patron — Sayidyunusi Istaravshani, are making an effort to philosophically respond to these articles and to deny that the IRPT is not a continuation of the “Ikhwan al-muslimin” and a copy of ISIL.

Analyzing all this, I would like to present to the people a number of historical and real examples, facts and numbers about the fact that the IRPT is really ISIL so that there was no longer any doubt about this issue. If this revivalist Akhund S. Istavashani or other revivalists will be able to refute at least one fact of this article or prove that it is not so, I am ready to apologize. But what we can do, unfortunately, everything that I say is true and it survived the Tajik people and ourselves.

Therefore, if we want to show and assess the true face of the terrorist and extremist organization (TEO) IRPT, not by the chubby skull-cap of S.A. Nuri, not by the fashionable French tie of M. Kabiri, not by the clever eye-glasses of Sayidyunus, that is, not in appearance, but by the real actions of this organization it became clear that all of its activities are similar to ISIL, and in some issues even more terrible of it.

In 1989, there is occurred an incident in the central mosques of Kulob and Kurgan-Tube that had amazed not only the people but also the USSR law enforcement agencies. When the Friday prayer ended, unexpectedly hundreds of citizens performing prayers, jumping over those seated, attacked the imam and the believing old people and began to beat them mercilessly. During the investigation, investigators asked how it happened that in one moment the hundreds of believers armed with sticks, iron, armature, and knives, as a trained forces attacked these two mosques? Later it turned out that these forces were members of the IRPT and long months planned to capture mosques in the Khatlon region. Holding a stick in bosom and hiding knives in pockets to come to the House of Allah and instead of committing a prayer to attack the imam and believers was the first military-political action of the IRPT. The attack of the IRPT members to these mosques, the aim of which was to obtain the imam post, was an event that at that time could not come to the mind of any Tajik, Muslim, and Hanafi.

So, back in Soviet times, a group appeared on the scene of Tajikistan, which externally had an Islamic name, but for it neither mosque and nor prayer was holy, its main goals were interest and power. Boboi Mullo Haydar, Mullo Abdurahimi Kulobi (both still alive) and Domullo Murodjoni Kurgani (probably still alive) can say that the first open armed attack of the IRPT members was committed with what horror at that time.

In April 1992, when the TEO IRPT, based on the plan of its foreign patrons, began the armed phase of the civil war, its first cases was hostage-taking, opening prisons, places of torture and murder. The IRPT central prison was located in the building of the bath-house of the state farm “Turkmaniston” of the Vakhsh district, in 1991 — 1992 the IRPT members there kept hundreds of people who were illegally tortured and executed. When this district was liberated from the IRPT members, hundreds of dismembered people’s bodies were found in the basement of this bath, dozens of corpses on which it was impossible to determine their belonging to one or another group. One of the terrible scenes of this IRPT prison, which was worse than the ISIL, was the dismemberment of male organs. Then the local elderly, collecting these organs in bags, praying, had buried in the local cemetery Zargar. Therefore, when the ISIL crimes are shown on TV, this bloodbath of the IRPT in Vakhsh district immediately appears before the eyes. It can be said that ISIL still dozens of years ago began its activities in us.

Now I want to ask the lawyer of the members of the IRPT S. Istavashani was or was not this bloody prison on the state farm “Turkmaniston”? Were or were not dismembered hundreds of innocent young people in the basement of this prison? If he says no, then we find out again that this akhund is lying. If the answer is positive, it will be proved once again that the IRPT is not only similar to ISIL but in the committing such crimes, it is more experienced and more terrible than ISIL.

Here cannot be any talk of philosophy and science that you should write, there is a talk about facts and truth, which have thousands of witnesses.

Speaking about the bloody prison of the IRPT in the state farm “Turkmaniston”, I remembered one more thing. Today, Shamsiddin Saidov, one of the commanders of this prison, a member of the Political Council of the IRPT, walking around the European countries, participates in conferences in slightly drunk form and even talks about human rights. Let’s send photos, movies of those scenes and eyewitness accounts of that butcher’s shop of the IRPT, the main responsible of which was Sh. Saidov, to his European friends who gave him asylum. These movies should be in the archive of “Khatlon Television”. In accordance with international laws, this person should be convicted on charges of a “war crime” and “genocide”. However, now he presents himself as a defender of the human rights. This is the highest degree of meanness and deceit, which can be done by the IRPT members.

In addition, friends, his entourage and reliable sources confirm that he is a drug addict. It would be nice if his European friends found out this disease of a thirty-year-old butcher of the IRPT or where he gets drugs in Europe.

However, the extraordinary invention of the IRPT members in Tajikistan so-called “Barrel – prison” and “barrel – torture” once again show that the IRPT and ISIL are one concept. This inhumane invention of the IRPT consisted in the fact that they contained people in iron barrels under water or fuel. Sometimes 8 to 10 people were thrown into one 1 — 2-ton barrel and locked it. it is impossible to escape from such a prison, most of the people slowly died because of the heat, lack of air and stench. In the winter in such prisons, they died from the cold. According to reliable sources, such prisons in Jirgitol and Tojikobod were widely used by the famous IRPT commanders Shaikhi Yoribek, in Nurobod Mullo Abdullo, and in Rohati “Rahmon Hitler” and Mansur.

Another terrible invention of the IRPT members was that the IRPT commanders, throwing innocent people into such barrels, ordered to strike at it from outside by iron objects. From the horrible and loud sound of a man in a barrel bursting eardrums, leading a person to insanity or the heart stopped from a strong psychological pressure. These terrible methods of punishment, torture, and executions, invented by the IRPT had been applied to thousands of citizens. These methods can probably be called torture or “acoustic” executions. The horror, which had not even thought of ISIL.

Is there any IRPT member who could deny the existence of barrels — prisons of the IRPT? Of course not, because they are well aware that how many such barrels had each IPRT commander. Or do the IRPT members think that the insidious smiles of M. Kabiri will cover this or the people forgot all this? No, never. As evidence, today, dozens of people of Jirgitol, Nurobod, Tojikobod, Romit or Rohati, who have been passed through these barrels — the PIRT prisons are being treated by psychologists. Each of these accidentally survivors are the witnesses of the monstrous and unthinkable crimes of the IRPT-ISIL. They have preserved their medical cards and they are ready to testify before the whole world. In that case, with what conscience S. Istaravshani, who considers himself a scientist and philosopher, can justify the inhuman crimes of the IRPT and defend their authors? If so, then let’s give this hoji-aga the national title of “philosopher of terrorism”.

There are many such unheard-of crimes, for example, the capture of the Kulob region in the blockade, which led to the death of thousands of women and children from hunger, as a result of the use of grains of grass and broom; taking hostage deputies of the Supreme Council and their maintenance in the basement of the parliament in 1992; taking hostage pupils of the Russian school No. 8 of the capital; the creation of a concentration camp in the Tavildara region in 1994-1998, especially in the Vakhyoi Bolo and Miyonadu using thousand people as slaves and their retention there for 4 to 5 years; the attack on the 12th Russian border post and killing of border guards in 1995; the brutal killing of the UN mission in Tavildara in 1997; killing of recruits of the Ministry of Defense in the gorge of Kamarov in 2010; a series of terrorist acts against prominent political and cultural personalities of Tajikistan and others. All this once again shows that there is no difference between the IRPT and the ISIL in the issues of cruelty, oppression, execution, and crimes.

In conclusion, during the internal war of Tajikistan, which was organized by the IRPT, the killing of more than 150,000 residents of the country by this organization is enough to assess the level of the IRPT crimes before our people. If we take into account the number of the population of Tajikistan in 1993, this is 3% of the total population of the country! Here about what large-scale big crime there is a speech!

In addition to the identity of the methods of action, the goals of ISIL and IRPT are also identical: the seizure of power and the formation of a medieval Islamic state. Right the Tajik scientist Rustam Aziz, who reading a book of the founder of the IRPT S.A Nuri year ago, based on many excerpts showed that the main goal of the IRPT is also the building of an Islamic state. This is true because the IRPT had repeatedly proved it in reality.

For example, in January 1993, when the Rasht area of Tajikistan was temporarily under the control of the IRPT, they immediately formed their small state “The Islamic Republic of Garm” and spread there the Islamic orders according their extremist concepts. The president of this Islamic state was announced a member of the Political Council of the IRPT Saadidini Rustam, who is in prison now and the Minister of Defense was the bloodthirsty commander of the IRPT Rizvon Sadirov. Pay attention, how were the first decrees of this self-proclaimed state: “the ban on the exit of women from the house”, “the length of the beard of a man must be at least four fingers”, “the ban on school attendance by girls”, “compulsory recruitment for two mujahids from each family”, “to give to the IRPT militants the food supplies of the people — flour, honey, livestock, potatoes, apples, etc.”, “ban on music at the wedding”, etc. If we compare these decrees of the “Islamic state” of the IRPT with the decrees of the ISIL caliph, then there will be no difference.

In other words, in the first case, the IRPT members established in Garma a regime of oppressors and plunder of the people under the name of the “Islamic state”. Fortunately, this dark structure of the IRPT followers had no development and in the spring of the same year, it had been liquidated by the government forces. Leaders started running to Afghanistan and there they continued their despotism over the Tajik refugees.

Let there be at least one IRPT follower or their lawyer who would refute the “Islamic state of Garm”? Would he have proved that the IRPT had not issued such anti-human and predatory decrees and not proclaimed the “Islamic state”? Was or was not the forcible collection of apples, honey, potatoes and bread of the Garm people “for Mujahideen”? None of them can refute this because all the people of the Rasht Valley know this historical reality of the terrible acts of the IRPT. Even if S. Istaravshani, who considers himself a great scientist, will collect his “heavenly and earthly knowledge” or will involve all his akhunds for this, cannot refute even a particle of these crimes. Because the people of Rasht are alive and all the manuscripts of the decrees of the “president of the Islamic state of Garm”, written in the crooked and illiterate handwriting of Mullo Saadidini Rustam are kept for history in the volumes of his first criminal case, the investigation of which was conducted in 1994 — 1994.

The most surprisingly, the media has published last week a speech by one of the IRPT activists – refuges in Poland Muhammadsaid Rizoi, which says that the IRPT is a supporter of a secular democratic state. This lie is said for an open deception of Europeans, because IRPT, with the slightest favorable situation, immediately realize its cherished dream — the building of a medieval state of oppressors. How it is bequeathed to the IRPT members in the books of S.A Nuri or how such a monstrous organization had been built in 1993 in Rasht. For this reason, after reading the words of M. Rizoi, I remember the following line from the quatrain of Omar Khayyam: “Tell it to those who do not know you …”. I am sure that the Tajik people will never fall for the deception of these IRPT members hypocrites.

It should be noted that the “Islamic state” of the IRPT had widely used other ISIL elements, for example, the organization of o-called “Islamic courts” or “lynchings”, accusations in unbelief of innocent people and their execution. The judge of this state of the IRPT Mullo Abdughaffori “Tank” in all cases gave one verdict — execution. Because the level of his knowledge and terrorist ideology was only limited by this. During the activity of the “Islamic Courts” of the IRPT in Rasht, Yazgulom and in Afghanistan, hundreds of innocent citizens were killed under the sentence of the judges of the IRPT. After Abdugaffori “Tank”, Mavlawi Muhammadjon Faizmuhammadi Panji continued the duties of the IRPT judge in Afghanistan, whose sentences were even crueler and harsh.

One of the most famous verdicts of Mullo Abdughaffor in 1994 was permission to smoke hemp and illicit drug trafficking for all the IRPT fighters. On the basis of this fatwa, during the civil war almost all commanders and fighters of the IRPT engaged in the purchase and sale of drugs, the IRPT also kept itself by that way. This truth was known to all members and non-members of the IRPT. Everyone remembers which clashes took place between Afghan smugglers and IRPT commanders due to late payment of money “for goods”.

This IRPT fatwa once again proves the unity of the IRPT and ISIL, so that the so-called ISIL caliph al-Baghdadi had also issued an official fatwa, which says in particular: “The hemp is halal for a mujahid, it exalts his pride!”. The fatwa, which contradicts the whole teaching of the Islamic religion. After all this, what differences can be there between IRPT and ISIL? The fatwa, the way of thinking and the source of profit is one.

The IRPT judge Mullo Abdughaffor sentenced to death even those Tajik refugees and migrants, who knowing the deception of IRPT tried to return to Tajikistan from Afghanistan. They had been sentenced with the phrase “leaving the house of Islam, returns to the home of the kafir”. This fanatical mullah, who was known for his cruelty, had issued a verdict of death against our mentor Mavlawi Muhammadi Kumsangiri in the early May of 1994. Because Mawlawi was one of the first, who moved to Afghanistan, having seen the realities of those days, he had declared “incorrect” the IRPT jihad and supporting peace, returned to Tajikistan with his murids.

In that time, I worked as a journalist for a while in the IRPT radio “Sadoi mujahid” (“The Voice of Mujahideen”), by the instruction of the Chairman of radio Bobojoni Shafe I wrote down the sermons of S.A Nouri in Friday prayers in the refugee camp and broadcasted them by the IRPT radio, which was technically equipped by the Islamic Republic of Iran. Therefore, I remember exactly how in one of the Friday prayers of Tajik refugees, S.A Nuri commented on and confirmed the correctness of the sentence of Mullo Abdughaffor “on the mandatory execution of Mavlawi Muhammadi”, because of his return to Tajikistan.

As Mavlawi Muhammadi enjoyed great authority among the migrants, especially the people of Hoita, after the Friday prayer the situation sharply escalated. In the evening of the same day, armed groups of the IRPT in order to fulfill the verdict organized an attack on the Mavlawi’s house in the Boghi Shirkat camp. As a result, 6 people were killed. However, his armed murids, especially those from Hoit, ensured his protection from all sides, then, with the assistance of the famous Afghan commander Sardor Najmiddin, relocated him first to Takhor, later with the permission of Ustad Rabboni had been sent to Tajikistan.

Hazrati Mavlawi Muhammadi lived 90 years and until 2014 he was still alive, until the end of his life, he always instructed to avoid the IRPT, because it is not from our mazhab (sect). Thousands of refugees from the camps of the Boghi Shirkat and Campi Sakhi witnessed this incident and other crimes of the courts, judges and IRPT commanders in Afghanistan.

Let at least one IRPT follower or a lawyer or its coordinator deny that there were no such judges, “Islamic courts”, such verdict against Mavlawi Muhammadi, an attempt to murder this outstanding scholar of Hanafit of Tajikistan? No, they can not refute it in any way. It was. Thousands of witnesses of this well-known case, in particular, his children are still alive.

However, if tell the truth in this matter, ISIL has an advantage from the IRPT. ISIL openly announced that it will build an “Islamic caliphate” and spread such monstrous medieval laws. But the IRPT works from a position of deceit and hypocrisy. In official government documents, the IRPT declares itself a supporter of a “democratic state”, but in its secret gatherings and reports to its patrons, whose records are available, indicates the goal of building an Islamic state. What is the reason for this hypocrisy of the IRPT? The reason is that the leaders of the IRPT have long ago withdrawn from the Tajik Hanafism and accepted the Shia mazhab (sect). In this mazhab, it is common to hide your true goals. According to the teachings of the Shiites, which is accepted by the IRPT members, the deception is not a sin. So, if ISIL is a terrorist-extremist organization, then its Tajik version IRPT — a hypocritical terrorist-extremist organization. That’s, it is more dangerous than ISIL in this matter.

Such inconceivable crimes of some terrorist organization will never be forgiven in any world state. For example, the same Europe, it has been 80 years, but today they have not forgiven crimes committed by fascism and will not be forgiven in the future. Reliably the mentioned crimes of the IRPT are in no way inferior to fascism. If the fascists killed people in gas chambers, the IRPT did the same in barrels. Or, according to the fatwa of the IRPT followers and their patrons, the killing of Tajiks is not a sin?

But the greatness of our Leader of the Nation His Excellency Emomali Rahmon was that for the sake of peace and unity, tranquility and stability of Tajikistan, this group fell under amnesty. Taking into account of this, the criminals of the IRPT continued their activities for 16 years in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. Despite the fact that these crimes were fully known to the Tajik people and security agencies of Tajikistan, for the sake of peace and nobility of the Leader of the Nation, no one had touched these matters and never used them.

During this time the IRPT followers got beautiful palaces, shops, trading markets, 3-4 wives, gardens and expensive cars. However, it is a pity that once again they were seized by an unclean and ungrateful consciousness, and instead of gratitude to the concessions of the Head of State, to the values of peace and unity, they planned a coup d’etat (!!!).

So, in September 2015, this terrorist-extremist organization led by direct instruction of its patrons and through its henchman General H. Nazarzoda attempted to implement a coup d’etat plan and commit an attempt on the unity and security of Tajikistan. Of course, this attempt was timely suppressed and our Tajikistan was saved from a foreign threat. However, these acts of the IRPT decisively proved that this group is not subject to correction. For this reason, the Supreme Court was forced to ban the activities of this organization. The IRPT’s lawyers must understand that the IRPT ban is not related to the peace agreement because the IRPT was not banned for its crimes likeness of ISIL, but for attempting to plan, finance and commit an armed coup d’etat in 2015 by the instructions of a foreign state. What should the state do for this?

Thus, ISIL and IRPT are actually one organization, having only planners, sponsors and patrons. Their goal, ideology, and way of activities are also identical. On this basis, there is no difference if we say ISIL, Al Qaeda, Taliban, Boko Haram or IRPT. Names are different, but activity and essence are the same. There is no difference if we call Bin Laden, Mullah Umar, Abubakr al-Baghdadi or Muhiddin Kabiri. There are differences in names, places, and forms, but the goals, roles, patrons, sponsors are the same.

Taking into account these similarities and reality, in recent months the influential world organizations and powers have included the IRPT on the line with Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIL on the blacklist of terrorist and extremist organizations, and banned its activities on the territory of their countries. Thus, the SCO, which includes Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan, as well as the CSTO, which is a powerful regional organization, unanimously declared the IRPT as a terrorist and extremist organization.

Interpol, having included the leaders of the IRPT in the beginning of the list of international criminals and dangerous terrorist, gave instructions for their arrest around the world. This decisive measure of international organizations and influential countries once again proved the extremist and terrorist nature of the IRPT and its identity with ISIL. ISIL in Tajikistan.

Izzatullo Sadullo,
Candidate of Historical Sciences,
a former member of the IRPT,
head of the primary organization of the IRPT
in the Shohmansur district from 1999 to 2009
and a group of direct eyewitnesses of these events

Reprinted from “Faraj” newspaper