Mohammed Rafik Kamalov was a popular
imam
Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, se ...
in
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...
who was shot and killed 7 August 2006, in
Osh, by
Kyrgyz special forces. He was the head of the largest mosque in the divided city of
Kara-Suu
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on the Kyrgyzstan side of the border with
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
. Kyrgyz officials confirmed that they killed 3 people in an operation against "
Islamic Fundamentalism
Islamic fundamentalism has been defined as a puritanical, revivalist, and reform movement of Muslims who aim to return to the founding scriptures of Islam. Islamic fundamentalists are of the view that Muslim-majority countries should return ...
" 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
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU; uz, Ўзбекистон исломий ҳаракати/Oʻzbekiston islomiy harakati; russian: Исламское движение Узбекистана ) was a militant Islamist group formed in 1998 ...
, 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.
External links
"Kyrygz imam shot dead" on the BBC 7 August"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