Uznews.net – The Sweden-based Uzbek imam Obid-kori Nazarov has condemned violence against the ethnic Uzbek population in southern Kyrgyzstan and has issued permission to his followers to curse those responsible for the violence.

Nazarov posted his statement on youtube. He said that the horrible bloodshed in Kyrgyzstan had become everyone’s sorrow and grief and urged his followers and other Muslims to curse “these barbarians” because this was their duty.

The imam also said that everyone had wanted international peacekeepers to be deployed in the country to stop violence and rescue people’s lives and property.

Nazarov was granted refuge in Sweden in 2006 after many years in hiding to escape persecution by the Uzbek government.

Official Tashkent regards Nazarov as the leader of the Wahhabi current in Uzbekistan and has jailed hundreds of people for being acquainted with Nazarov or for reading his books or sermons. His son Husnutdin went missing in Tashkent in 2004 – the imam blames Uzbek security services for his disappearance.