Thursday, June 21, 2012 -
Migrant workers from Tajikistan must observe Sharia law while they work abroad, the head of the Islamic Center of Tajikistan said on Thursday.
Workers toiling in Russia and other countries must also be sure to take care of their families and parents, the Asia-Plus news agency reported Islamic Center of Tajikistan head Saidmukarram Abduqodirzoda as saying.
The comments came during a meeting between high-ranking members of the Islamic Center, the Migration Service, and the country’s highest religious authority, the Committee for Religious Affairs.
Many families of Tajik migrants are abandoned, a report from UNICEF released in December said.
However, statistics on this phenomenon are unavailable.
Tajikistan is the world leader in remittances, with money sent back from migrant workers accounting for 33 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), the World Bank reported last week. Many of its migrant workers head to Russia and Kazakhstan to find employment due to the impoverished economy in their home country.