Conflict in Georgia’s south over ex-Mosque and church site

The damaged building which was previously a mosque in Mokhe, a village in southern Georgia; Photo by sknews.ge
Agenda.ge, 23 Oct 2014 - 13:25, Tbilisi,Georgia

Clashes between religious groups in a southern Georgia village about the future of a building which has historical importance for Christians and Muslims has drawn criticism from the Prime Minister, who said people of all religions were equal and everyone must obey the law.

In a comment about the recent developments in Mokhe village in southern Georgia, PM Irakli Garibashvili said everyone was equal under the law and religious confession did not have to do anything with it.

The incident began after local authorities announced plans to open a library in one of the village’s rundown buildings. The decision was opposed by the local Muslim population, who claimed the badly damaged building was previously a mosque – a place of worship for followers of Islam – and they would not allow it to be demolished.

Garibashvili said he had looked into the issue and noted it had quite a long history.

"The village’s Christian population says that previously there was a church at this site, which was destroyed and a mosque was built on its remains. After that … during the Soviet Union [it was turned into a public building where] there was a house of culture, and until today, it was a useless building,” he said.

"After that, the local government announced a contest to establish a library in the building in order to avoid conflict between the local Christians and Muslims,” the PM said.

He noted that such issues should first of all be studied by the State Agency for Religious Affairs, which will then address the Government with a recommendation.

 "I confirm that the local Muslim Mufti (an Islamic scholar) passed me a request [on behalf] of the village’s Muslim population to once again discuss this issue. I want to once again remind all religious groups that we have created the State Agency for Religious Affairs to

The banner reads that the construction of Library is scheduled to be completed in two months. Photo by sknews.ge

study cases like this. All issues should be studied first by the Agency, which will address the Government with a recommendation,” Garibashvili noted.

"I talked with the Governor, who had communication with the region’s Mufti and they agreed that a small-sized residence would be constructed for the Mufti, because this was the main request. The village already has a mosque and locals don’t have a problem of praying, therefore I think it was a normal decision for avoiding a conflict,” the PM added.

"What we saw yesterday is unfortunate. I condemn any form of violence and it is unacceptable but I want to note that every citizen is equal under the law and religious confession does not matter in this,” he said.

The Prime Minister expressed hope that the issue would be solved by the end of the day.

"I once again call on everyone, the Christian and Muslim population – you are citizens of our country, you are equal and you are obliged to obey the law. The state will ensure that your rights are protected as much as possible and will not allow anyone to violate your rights. I urge you to stay calm and make reasonable decision,” Garibashvili noted.

Earlier today, the local Muslim population protested the library proposal by keeping their children home from school. As a result only 20 pupils attended school today out of total of 200.

Confrontation between Muslim and Orthodox Christianity faith

The confrontation in Mokhe began on Wednesday when protesters tried to prevent workers from beginning construction works at the nearly destroyed building. A confrontation erupted between people of Muslim and Orthodox Christianity faith, which resulted in the arrest of 14 protesters. Eleven were charged for petty hooliganism and disobeying police orders while three others were charged for resisting police.

"The police guarded the nearby territory of the building to avoid the possible confrontation. Police urged locals to keep calm and protect the law. The people gathered around the building, insulted the police and damaged police vehicles,” the Interior Ministry’s press office said.

Protests hosted by the Muslim community continued outside the regional police headquarters in Akhaltsikhe last night. The group demanded the unconditional release of prisoners.

"We [will] continue the protest until the detained people will be released. I believed this protest will have a result,” said Mufti of Khulo Guram Abashidze.

Orthodox Christians were against rebuilding the mosque in Mokhe and said it would be fair if the building could be used by both communities, as local Muslims already had as active mosque in the village.

The State Agency for Religious Affairs expressed concern over the incident

Earlier yesterday, the State Agency for Religious Affairs expressed concern over the incident and said the agency was "thoroughly” studying the problem and a solution must be reached with consensus of both parties. It urged everyone to "keep calm”, which would prevent the situation from escalating further.

The Agency also noted that the local Muslim community "has not yet formally appealed” to it over the issue.

"The Agency only received a letter from the local municipality about issuing a recommendation. Thus, the Agency believed it would be advisable to study the issue in detail and demanded additional information from the local municipality,” the Agency said in a statement.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Tamar Kordzaia noted the Government had created the State Agency for Religious Affairs for the purpose of discussing and resolving these kinds of conflicts and called on the Agency for Religious Issues to study the issue "with the shortest possible delay.

Georgia’s Public Defender also called on the Adigenis local government to "stop the construction works of the former building of a mosque” due to the sensitivity and the importance of the issue.

"We call for the authority to act based on the principles of equality and freedom of religious in the country,” read the Public Defender’s statement.

The disputed partially destroyed building was a mosque before it was turned into a public building decades ago during the Soviet times. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the building fell into disrepair.