Caught between East and West, and embroiled in the New Great
Game, Tajikistan continues to exist as an authoritarian state which while
mostly secular, panders to Islam in an attempt to counter the narratives of
extremist groups like al Qaeda, ISIS, and even the Taliban.
Unfortunately this means that Christians are caught in the
middle. I wrote about this in the 2017 linked article below.
Tajikistan is both part of the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO) and a Partnership for Peace (PFP) participant with NATO. The
nation has hosted both Russian and NATO member troops.
And yet clearly the growing tensions between the West and Russia,
and certainly the United States with Iran and China, not to mention the
instability of Afghanistan and the angst regarding Pakistan and India have
forced Dushanbe to tighten the reins a bit. This clampdown is affecting all of
society but Christians in particular are feeling the brunt of it.
The country is a battleground due to its strategic location
and its mineral wealth. Additionally the economy survives on remittances which
means the door is wide open to outside influence. This can flow from countries
like Russia where large numbers of expatriate Tajiks reside but in terms of the
Churches, you can be certain that the Tajik leadership fears the political and
financial influence wielded by Western Evangelicals and their political allies.
That's the unfortunate aspect of the story that the Western
media and certainly the Christian media will not cover. This does not exonerate
the actions taken by the Tajik government but rather than view them as
arbitrary, capricious or somehow motivated by an alliance with Radical Islam or
Communism, they need to be understood in light of the post-Cold War setting...
and the nascent Cold War that confronts us.
There is a great deal of confusion at present. I was all but
heartbroken to hear the son of Harlan Popov on the radio the other day. Some
will know his name and his famous story documented in the 1980 book Tortured For His Faith. While the
stories of Christians suffering under Communism are inspiring, unfortunately
there have also been some cases of disinformation and deceit. And now I am
sorry to report that Popov's son has distorted his legacy by turning to blatant
misinformation. On the radio he painted Putin and the contemporary Russian
government as being communist... when in reality they represent the
oligarchical degenerate stage of hyper-capitalism. But the 'communist' label
fits his ongoing narrative tied to his father's book and his ministry and thus
he either is willing deceiving his audience or is patently unqualified to offer
commentary.
Additionally he felt the need to pour additional opprobrium
on the legacy of Marx by insisting that he wasn't really an atheist but instead
was a practicing Satanist. This is in part a reiteration of Richard Wurmbrand's
ideas. While Wurmbrand is to be appreciated on many levels and he undoubtedly
suffered genuine Christian persecution and was certainly braver than you or I,
nevertheless his credibility is at times wanting. Like another man to be
admired Simon Wiesenthal, Wurmbrand is not always truthful and certainly
manipulates the facts to suit him. Marx was certainly evil enough. We don't
need to make up lies in order to make our case or bolster our cause.
It reminded me of some of the Traditionalist Catholic
podcasts I listen to. Their disdain of Luther is so extensive that not only
must they label him a heresiarch but they must do all they can to slander his
character. Recently they suggested that he didn't join the Augustinian
monastery due to angst or a vow made during a thunderstorm. No, he had murdered
someone and fled to the monastery as a fugitive. And they insisted that he was
profligate and had fathered many children by many different nuns. It was kind of
embarrassing to listen to. It was clear they knew little about Luther's life
and understood even less. There's plenty to criticise about Martin Luther. We
don't need to make up things.
Likewise in their Catholic zeal to (rightly) condemn
freemasonry but also attempting to distance Catholicism from 1930's fascism
they tried (unsuccessfully) to weave a narrative in which the anti-Catholic masons
and Mussolini were in alliance. The truth (as any mildly informed student
knows) is the exact opposite. The fascists cracked down on internationalist masonry
and sought to eliminate it. It was only after the war that some fascist
elements worked within Masonic organisations like P2.
This sort of thing is not only unhelpful but damaging to the
credibility of Christians. And sadly Catholics must be mentioned because they
are increasingly influencing the Evangelical world. Once again Christian media (in
the broadest sense) is playing a disgraceful role in getting the 'truth' out to
'man in the pew'. From the misguided ill-informed and egregious commentaries
flowing from people like Albert Mohler to mainstream Evangelical distortions of
history and current events I'm sorry to report that almost all reports from
abroad, especially those given by missionary groups and connected to
Evangelical ministries (most of which are financially corrupt) must be taken
with a grain of salt. There might be some truth to their reporting but in
almost every case salient and even essential facts and certainly the context
are omitted. And thus the consumer of such media will come away with (at the
very least) a distorted understanding of events.
I could probably engage myself full-time in simply countering
and explaining the news and contexts presented and misrepresented by Right-wing
and Evangelical media but given my obligations and other interests it's not
something I am able to do... but the need is certainly there.
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