Hundreds of Georgian Muslims have gathered in Tbilisi to protest the removal of a mosque's minaret in the Samtskhe-Javakheti province.
Local authorities removed the minaret in the village of Chela on August 26.
A group of Muslims tried to block the work, but police forcefully dispersed the protesters, arresting 21 of them.
The Finance Ministry said the minaret was removed for inspection to verify if the materials used to build it were properly declared when they were imported into Georgia from Turkey in July.
The grand mufti of the Georgian Muslims' Directorate, Jemal Paksadze, condemned the minaret's removal, calling it a violation of Georgian citizens’ rights.
Paksadze is based in the capital of Georgia's southeastern Autonomous Republic of Ajara.
Members of his directorate arrived in Tbilisi to lead the protest there on August 27.
SOURCE
http://www.rferl.org/content/georgia-protest-minaret-muslims/25087349.htmlSamkhretis Karibche, a local media outlet from Southern Georgia, reports that the local municipality of Adigeni started studying the issue of the new minaret in Chela, claiming that it was illegal. The municipality decided to take down the minaret and fine local Muslims with a 200 lari fine (USD 120) for illegally constructing it.
According to municipality representatives, no documents were presented to local government about the construction of the Minaret.
A month and a half ago, when the minaret was constructed next to the Mosque, locals and representatives of the organization Sazogadoebrivi Darbazi started gathering signatures demanding to remove it; however Samkhretis Karibche writes that the local population believes ‘someone deliberately is bringing tension to the village because Muslims and Orthodox until now have lived in peace.’
SOURCE
http://dfwatch.net/muslims-detained-for-protesting-dismantling-of-minaret-in-georgia-28544
JUSTICE MINISTER COMMENTS ON REMOVAL OF MINARET
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=26392
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