Mufti of Kyrgyzstan Abdulaziz qary Zakirov
Mufti of Kyrgyzstan Abdulaziz qary Zakirov has called on men to show respect for women, stressing that violence against them is a “grave sin and equivalent to opposing the Almighty,” the national news agency Kabar reported.
The religious leader emphasized that a woman is the heart of society, the guardian of the family, and the future mother. In Islam, kind treatment of daughters is encouraged, while mothers hold the highest status, as “paradise lies beneath their feet.”
Zakirov reminded men that, according to the Quran, Muslims are strictly forbidden from engaging in debauchery or shedding the blood of innocents, and that any act of violence against a woman is akin to an attack on one’s own mother or daughter.
He also noted that Kyrgyz people have traditionally been known for respecting women’s dignity: girls were given places of honor, and mothers were revered like queens. Today, however, he observed an alarming rise in cases of abuse against women, calling such incidents “a tragedy and a disgrace for society.”
“True strength of a man lies not in brute force but in compassion and self-restraint. Respecting a woman is an expression of faith!” the mufti stressed.
Continuing his appeal, Zakirov urged men to raise their sons with morality and honor so that boys treat every girl as if she were their own sister or daughter.
“Allah elevates those who respect women and punishes oppressors both in this world and in the eternal one,” the mufti concluded.
The statement comes amid public outrage over the recent murder of a 17-year-old girl in Karakol, who was raped and strangled in late September. Police later arrested a suspect, a previously convicted man born in 1984.
The case drew the attention of President Sadyr Japarov, who took it under personal control and instructed lawmakers to introduce the death penalty for pedophiles and for cases of rape followed by the victim’s murder.
