The bill was proposed by Emzar Kvitsiani, a member of parliament for the Alliance of Patriots who has often appeared at far-right rallies like this one in Tbilisi on July 14. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch--The parliament in Georgia is to consider a proposal by a far-right group to ban the wearing of burqa and niqab [...]
TBILISI, DFWatch–The city hall in Georgia’s second largest city Batumi has rejected an application for permission to build a second mosque in the 150,000 strong city. In the largely Muslim city there has been a several decades long conflict about whether to allow a second mosque. […]
BATUMI, DFWatch–One Sunday in December, Muslims are cramming into the Orta Jame mosque in Batumi. Despite a three decades long effort to get permission to build a second mosque, they still have only one mosque to go to despite the city’s sizable Muslim population. […]
(DFWatch.) ADIGENI, DFWatch–A dispute about the ruins of a mosque in the village Mokhe in the south of Georgia has deteriorated further after Christians began conducting prayer on the site. Muslims began holding Friday prayers on the ruins two months ago and did not stop […]
(Tariel Nakaidze.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Muslims in Mokhe in southern Georgia do not accept a compromise suggested by a government commission and continue to pray on the ruins of a mosque in the village. Local Muslims and Orthodox Christians have disagreed for two years […]
TBILISI, DFWatch–A commission tasked with settling a dispute between Christians and Muslims over the ruins of a mosque in the south of Georgia delivered its recommendations on Thursday, but it is uncertain if this will help solve the two year old conflict. […]
(Samkhretis Karibche.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Muslims in the village Mokhe in the south of Georgia on Thursday conducted a prayer on the ruins of a mosque which the local government in 2014 declared that it wanted to turn into a culture house. The plans by local Orthodox Christians to appropriate […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The beating of four Muslims by Georgian police may be brought up before the European Court of Human Rights after a human rights group in Georgia on Thursday filed a lawsuit at the Strasbourg court. The four were detained by police during a village […]
(Samkhretis Karibche.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Muslims and Christians have reached agreement about a cemetery in a village Adigeni, in the south of Georgia, after a tense standoff. The communities agreed to have one common cemetery, which will be separated by a line. Jambul Abuladze, […]
(Samkhretis Karibche.) TBILISI, DFWatch–The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) has launched an investigation into the religious conflict in Adigeni in southern Georgia, where Muslims and Christians disagree about whether to have a separate graveyard for Muslims. The investigation […]
(Samkhretis Karibche.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Disagreement over a cemetery led to exchange of insults between Muslims and Christians in a village in southern Georgia on Monday. Samkhretis Karibche, a local online newspaper, reported that the locals verbally insulted each other. […]
Disputed building in Mokhe (DFWatch) TBILISI, DFWatch–The conflict between Christians and Muslims continues in a village in southern Georgia. A commission created in December to solve the dispute appears to have done nothing so far. Muslims in Mokhe demonstrated in February against the appointment […]
Ruslan Baramidze (on the left) during a field work It is harder to be a Muslim anywhere, when international media headlines are dominated by terrorist groups, such as ISIS or Boko Haram. In Georgia, one out of ten citizens is a Muslim. What do we know about Islam in Georgia? Is Islamophobia on the rise here as well? […]
A mosque in Chela, Georgia. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–44 mosques were taken over by Georgia’s Muslim Department two days ago by decision of the State Commission on Religious Issues. According to Zaza Vashakmadze, who is head of the commission, 21 mosques are in the Kakheti region, while 32 […]
14 people were detained in the clashes in Mokhe. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–An archbishop in Georgia claims the disputed building in Mokhe was formerly a church, and that allowing it to be used by Muslims is unacceptable. The conflict in the village Mokhe near Adigeni started last week when workers came to start dismantling […]
Shura Mikeladze. (Photo published by Samkhretis Karibche.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Politicians Thursday began making sense of the conflict in Mokhe the day before, while local Muslims spent the whole night at the police station where people are being held who were detained. The scuffle began as Muslims tried to stop the […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Conflict continued Wednesday in the small Georgian village Mokhe, as an old mosque was dismantled from morning. Muslims tried to protest, but the Orthodox Christians opposed them and there came to a scuffle, during which 14 people were detained. […]
People in Mokhe are unhappy about the mufti’s performance in a conflict about a mosque. (Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Muslims in south Georgia are planning to start a petition to dismiss the country’s mufti, who they claim is illegitimate and gave them false promises. A few days ago, there was a conflict in the village Mokhe, where an old mosque is going […]
(Interpressnews.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Muslims in Mokhe, a village in the south of Georgia, protested on Saturday, because they don’t want to give up an old mosque and turn it into a culture center. The Orthodox population rallied against them demanding to construct a new culture center […]
From left to right: Zaur Khalilov, executive director of Civic Integration Fund, theologian Beka Mindiashvili, and lawyer Giorgi Gotsiridze. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A few days ago, in a town on Georgia’s Black Sea coast, local Orthodox Christians hung a pig’s head on the entrance to a Muslim madrasa school which was to be opened in few days, insulting the religious feelings of Muslims. What are the reasons […]
The camp in Vartsikhe brought together children of different religious background. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–A ten-day summer camp was organized in mid-August for about one hundred Georgian Muslim and Christian children. The camp is aimed at making friends, train and educate, as well as breaking down prejudices about religion. Giorgi Jaiani, 15, came […]
Tariel Nakaidze, one of the founders of the Union of Georgian Muslims. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Years have passed without a solution to the need for a new mosque in Batumi. The governments keep promising Muslims that they will make a decision, but according to Muslims, both the central and the local government are attempting to delay […]
At Friday prayer, the street outside is used for additional prayer space. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–For more than a decade, Muslims in Batumi have failed to get permission to build a second mosque in the city. The one they have is not big enough to meet demand. Every Friday, several thousands of Muslims come to Orta Jame Mosque in Batumi, […]
The newly built prayer house in Mughanlo which was burnt on April 18. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–In a Muslim village near Tbilisi, a man was recently stabbed to death, and three days later a prayer house was put on fire. Is there a connection? DF Watch went there to investigate. The village is called Mughanlo and lies about 30 minutes’ drive east […]
Muslims praying outside the Orta Jame Mosque in Batumi. (Rustavi 2.) TBILISI, DFWatch–In Georgia’s southwestern Adjara region, authorities have changed their decision to allow the Muslim population to build a new mosque in Batumi, a city on the shores of the Black Sea. Tens of thousands of Muslims live in different villages and […]
Ombudsman Ucha Nanuashvili (left) met representatives of the Muslim community. (Photo: Public Defender.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Muslims in Georgia say they are being pressured by law enforcement bodies. Clerics from the Muslims community January 22 met with the Public Defender. According to the Ombudsman’s office, the meeting dealt with problems they are experiencing and […]
Jemal Paksadze. (DF Watch.) TBILISI, DFWatch–Muslims in Georgia will from now on have two muftis instead of one. This was decided at a session of the Administration of Muslims of all Georgia on January 9. Jemal Paksadze, who used to be the Mufti of all Georgia, from now on will be mufti of […]
