A wake-up call for Russia and the world

One of the four suspects in the terrorist attack in Russia was brought to court on March 4. (Source: RIA Novosti)

On March 25, Russian officials announced the identities of four suspects in the attack on the Crocus City Hall theater in Moscow on March 3, which left at least 4 people dead and nearly 22 injured.

All four suspects, including Dalerdjon Mirzoyev (4 years old), Saidakrami Rahabalizod (32 years old), Muhammadsobir Fayzov (30 years old) and Shamsidin Fariduni (19 years old), all carry Tajikistan passports.

On March 24, the Office of the President of Tajikistan said that Tajik President Emomali Rahmon told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in a phone call after the attack that "terrorists have no nationality, neither does the fatherland." like not following any religion".

So why are these terrorists all Tajik nationals and what does their nationality have to do with the terrorism charge?

Things to know about Tajikistan

Tajikistan is a landlocked country of 10 million people located between Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and China. It is the poorest country among the former Soviet republics.

Tajikistan means “Land of the Tajiks” in Persian. The word “Tajik” was used to distinguish Iranians from the Turks of Central Asia, starting as early as the 10th century.

Tajiks are the largest ethnic group in Tajikistan and the second largest in Afghanistan. It is estimated that more than 3 million Tajiks live in Russia, accounting for about 1/3 of the total population of Tajikistan. Tajiks in Russia often work low-paying jobs at construction sites, produce markets or public sanitation.

Russia's population decline has made the country increasingly dependent on foreign workers to meet its workforce needs. That's why the number of Tajiks in Russia is increasing, but their social status is not high.

From 2022, Tajiks will also be mobilized to participate in the special military campaign in Ukraine.

The Tajik people have had a long and glorious history. For more than a millennium, the Tajiks, the Persian-speaking descendants of the ancient Sogdians, dominated the Silk Road as the cultural elite of Central Asia.

Since the New Persian Renaissance in the 10th century when the capital Bukhara competed with Baghdad as a center of Islam and high culture, Tajiks were mainly scholars and high-ranking officials in many countries. major city in Central Asia until the Russian Revolution.

The famous medieval wise man Avicenna was of Tajik ethnicity, along with many other names such as Hadith collector (a record of Muhammad's teachings) Bukhari, Sufi poet Rumi...

In 1868, Tsar Russia annexed Northern Tajikistan into the Russian empire, while Southern Tajikistan was under Russian protectorate.

On October 14, 10, Tajikistan joined the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic. On October 1924, 16, Tajikistan separated into the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, mainly consisting of mountainous, marginal territories and without large urban areas. On December 10, 1929, Tajikistan joined the Soviet Union. In 5, Tajikistan declared independence.

Throughout the twentieth century, Tajikistan was the most impoverished and underdeveloped region of the former Soviet Union, and remained so even after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

From 1992-1997, the country fell into a brutal civil war that destroyed remaining infrastructure from the Soviet era.

Tajikistan border guards patrol the border area with Afghanistan. (Source: AFP)

Prey for extremist missionaries

The specter of radical Islam that threatens Tajikistan originates from neighboring Afghanistan - where Tajiks live significantly more than on the territory of Tajikistan.

Poverty and porous borders have turned Tajikistan into an incubator for terrorism. In 2017, the international crisis research center International Crisis Group (ICG) estimated that between 2.000 and 4.000 expatriates from Tadjikistan, Kirghizstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan joined the ranks of the Islamic State (IS) organization. ) self-proclaimed in Iraq and Syria. They joined the warrior ranks and even became some of the top leaders.

From a human perspective, due to their deprived lives, Tajiks easily fall prey to radical Islamic missionaries who give them a sense of value and purpose. That context and financial desperation become even more of a catalyst for the seeds of crime to grow strongly.

One of the suspects in the recent attack on the Crocus City Hall theater in Moscow is said to have told interrogators that he was promised a cash reward of half a million Rubles (about 5.300 USD) for doing so. this brutal act.

According to Observer Research Foundation expert Taneja, IS's sowing of conflict in the region clearly shows the group's ability to take advantage of "narratives, political activities and local conflicts". to strengthen its own influence. In 2022, IS launched cross-border attacks in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, although both governments denied that missiles had reached their territory.

"Central Asians from all countries and ethnicities have always been an important component of IS," Mr. Taneja said.

A United Nations Security Council report in January emphasized that IS is shifting toward a “more inclusive recruitment strategy,” targeting disillusioned Taliban fighters and foreign rebels.

The group recently released a local-language propaganda pamphlet aimed at new recruits from Tajikistan, calling President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan and his government “infidels.” .

Public opinion everywhere is still shocked by the attack on the Crocus City Hall theater in Moscow on March 22, no matter how the perpetrators justify it. It's sad when extremists kill innocent people just to get money or for certain ideals.

The recent tragic incident is a wake-up call for countries and international organizations to pay attention and join hands in the fight against terrorism in Central Asian countries like Tajikistan, preventing the risk of spreading and spreading. breadth of extremist elements.

(according to The Conversation, AFP, Nikkei Asia)