Dushanbe - Post Report Question and Answers
Are there problems with ethnic, race/racial minorities or religious prejudices? Gender equality?
Tajiks get most of their international news through a very Russian filter, so there are some weird ideas about the US floating around.
The country is Islamic but secular -- alcohol is sold in most supermarkets. The government clamps down hard on the public expression of religion, so you won't hear any muezzin calls.
It's a pretty conservative society, so gender equality is an ongoing issue -- if you're a woman, you may find it hard to get Tajik males to take you seriously. Not as bad as some places but yes it's a thing. - Dec 2016
Nothing out of the ordinary. - Dec 2015
Yes. Tajik women are 2nd class citizens here and Western women are treated like honorary men, but weirdly. I always made Tajik men uncomfortable when I shook their hands. - Jun 2014
It's a Muslin country, but it's fairly liberal in its view towards other religions. - Mar 2014
Yes. It probably will not impact Westerners much, but there are problems. - Oct 2013
It's a male-dominated society. Women aren't highly regarded and will be stared at openly. The country is Muslum, but not strict at all. Other religions are not recognized openly. You must meet quietly in homes. - Jan 2012
Tajiks are really, really nice to foreigners. That said, if you are black, you will be stared at and photographed constantly, if you are Asian you will be asked "where are you REALLY from?" and if you are a woman you will be catcalled and occasionally pinched. None of it is really malicious, but this is a very homogenous society and people don't always know that they're being rude by doing this. Even though 99 percent of the population is Muslim, Tajiks are very religiously tolerant and are often just curious about other religions. - Jun 2009
Women are poorly treated in general, but seem to expect it. Expats are generally exempt from this. Dark skinned people will be stared at incessantly, not usually in a hostile way, but it seems to get annoying. - Jul 2008
