Mohammed Rafik Kamalov was a popular

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir Mountains, Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Kyrgyzstan, largest city. Kyrgyz ...

who was shot and killed 7 August 2006, in

Osh Osh is a city in Kyrgyzstan. Osh or OSH may also refer to: * Osh (food), in Tajik and Uzbek cuisines * Osh (singer) (born 1995), English singer and rapper * OSH, the IATA code for Wittman Regional Airport near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States ...

, by Kyrgyz special forces. He was the head of the largest mosque in the divided city of

Kara-Suu Kara-Suu () is a town in Osh Region, Kyrgyzstan, in the Fergana Valley. The town is 23 km northeast of Osh and is the capital of Kara-Suu District. Its population was 26,609 in 2021. It is a major industrial and trade center, on the border ...

on the Kyrgyzstan side of the border with

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

. Kyrgyz officials confirmed that they killed 3 people in an operation against "

Islamic Fundamentalism Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a revivalist and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. The term has been used interchangeably with similar terms such as Islamism, Islamic revivalism, Qut ...

" in the city, but did not confirm or deny the death of Imam Kamalov. The officials said that the dead were members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, a banned organization. However, Imam Kamalov had consistently denied this allegation, saying that more than 70% of the visitors to his mosque were members of the group, but that he could not deny them entry on religious grounds.

References

External links

"Kyrgyz town mourns popular imam" on the BBC 11 August

"Kyrgyz Mufti Fends Off Extremism Charges"
Year of birth missing Kyrgyzstani imams 21st-century imams 2006 deaths Kyrgyzstani people of Uzbek descent {{Islam-bio-stub