TikTok’s tirade in Bishkek

The Muftiat’s condemnation of Ajnura Sagynbaeva’s statements on sexual relations outside of marriage: “an open distortion of the precepts of Islam” that contradicts “the moral values ​​of the entire Kyrgyz society.” But there are those who maintain that by allowing themselves to be carried away by the media controversy they run the risk of producing the opposite effect, giving them only great publicity.

Bishkek () – A diatribe has broken out in Kyrgyzstan between the Religious Administration of Muslims and the blogger, psychologist and sexologist Ajnura Sagynbaeva, which has affected public opinion in the country. The blogger uploaded a video to TikTok in which she stated that sexual relations outside of marriage are not a sin even from a religious point of view, and the leaders of the Muftiat declared that her opinions on the matter are “an open distortion of the precepts of the Islam” and contradict the moral values ​​of the entire Kyrgyz society, especially ruining the orientation of young people. Muslim leaders threatened to report the author of the sexual post to the police.

Sagynbaeva – who also defines herself as a cosmetologist, as well as a sexologist – wanted to show in the video how today’s young people, boys and girls, experience their relationship with sexuality. In her words, “for boys, the lack of sexual relations is harmful to their health, so don’t believe what they tell you, sex outside of marriage is not a sin.” To guys, she tells them, “if you don’t advance with women, your muscles will malfunction and your blood vessels will become compressed, so don’t come to me if you have problems.” Finally, she recommends the use of condoms, “so it is not a sin even for religion,” because “what matters is remaining men.”

Many Internet users were scandalized by these statements and asked the muftis to clarify the matter. Despite the fact that in Kyrgyzstan no religion is defined as an official state cult, which maintains the regime of separation between the State and religious communities, the Muslim administration felt obliged to express an authoritative opinion with the support of the civil authorities, stating that “if this citizen does not stop expressing her subjective opinions that do not correspond to the principles of sharia and national values, we will be forced to turn to the corresponding bodies of the State.”

The sexologist then deleted her video from the social network, but wrote that she only did so because of the Muftiat’s reprimands. Her role as influencer-consultant, however, connects her with hundreds of thousands of her followers, who constantly ask her questions about similar topics, making her pages among the most visited in the language. Kyrgyz on issues related to sexuality. Ajnura added that she did not want to enter into religious territory: “With the conscience of believers you have to be very careful, they are very delicate feelings and she should not have used the word sin.”

As he explains, he insists that he wants to help clarify medical and psychological issues, and some of his online interlocutors often end up “being too explicit.” According to lawyer and activist Eržan Sulayman, some of Sagynbaeva’s expressions can also be considered discriminatory, such as the call to “get closer to women” and the description of sex as a “necessity for men’s health”, but the muftiat’s reaction in his opinion was excessive, since there was no basis for recourse to the courts or law enforcement. For him, Muslim leaders “would have done better to calmly and effectively explain the principles of Islamic morality on the issue of extramarital relations, avoiding naming names and being dragged into a media controversy that risks producing the opposite effect. give a lot of free publicity to the sexologist”. Other commentators, however, defend freedom of expression in Kyrgyzstan, a highly debated topic beyond ethical and religious issues.