Adigeni religious controversy peacefully resolved

A religious controversy in Georgia’s southern Adigeni municipality over the relocation of cemetery land for Adigeni village Muslims has been peacefully settled after the involvement of several main players in the issue. 

The controversy launched on Monday in the Adigeni village when several Christians physically assaulted three Muslim residents of the same village. 

Several local Muslims said it was due to the fact they gained the right from the State Commission on Religious Issues to have a cemetery land within the village, as previously they had to bury their people in another village. 

Some local orthodox Christians said as they and the Muslim population had lived together in the village for decades they should have a joint cemetery land. 

The Southern Samtskhe Javakheti region’s Governor Akaki Matchutadze told Agenda.ge today the controversy had been "artificially staged by some people” as Muslims and Christians had lived peacefully in the area for hundreds of years. 

We, the local Government, the religious representatives from both sides and the village people sat down together to negotiate and easily reached a consensus.” 

The Muslims and Christians of the Adigeni village will have one, common cemetery place in the village. As religious rules and rituals differ, two equal parts of the land will be separated from each other with a transparent fence and will have two separate entrances, one for Christians and one for Muslims,” Matchutadze said. 

The Governor  added the solution was applauded by both parties involved.