FIVE THINGS ABOUT TAJIK SECURITY EFFORTS

1 RADICAL BEARDS? In a bid to curb Islamist radicalization, authorities in the republic of Tajikistan shaved the beards off nearly 13,000 men. They also shut about 160 shops selling traditional Islamic garb and supposedly “convinced” more than 1,700 women to stop wearing head coverings.

2 ‘BROUGHT TO ORDER’ According to Radio Free Europe’s Tajik service, the measures were taken in a region that borders Afghanistan. Area police said 12,818 men with “overly long and unkempt beards” were “brought to order” in 2015. 3 SECULAR REGIME The secular regime of President Imomali Rakhmon is known for its hard-line opposition to political Islam. From 1992 to 1997, Tajikistan endured a bitter civil war between government forces loyal to Rakhmon and an Islamist opposition. It is estimated 50,000 to 100,000 were killed.

4 MUSLIM MAJORITY The U.S. State Department has estimated that more than 90 per cent of Tajikistan’s population is Muslim, and that religious adherence appears to be growing. The secular Rakhmon, a Sunni himself, has been in power since 1992; his authoritarian government has repeatedly expressed concern over the rise of Islam, linking it to extremism.

5 ‘FOUNDER OF PEACE’ Rakhmon once linked the wearing of the hijab to prostitution in a televised address. In September, the country’s Supreme Court banned the only recognized Islamist political party. And in December, parliament granted Rakhmon’s family lifelong immunity from prosecution and designated him “the founder of peace and national unity of Tajikistan.”