A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY
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| Volume 6 Number 25 - Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004 |
A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY |
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The Orthodox Christian News Service |
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Medieval practices used for Georgian reunificationGEORGIAN REPUBLICANS ORGANIZE MASS BAPTISM OF AJARIS Portal-credo.ru, 19 June 2004 - Around 200 Ajaris were baptized in the Ajari autonomous republic in an event of mass baptism organized by the Republican Party of Georgia in the course of its electoral campaign for the upcoming elections to the supreme soviet of the autonomous republic on 20 June, according to a report from Kavkazskii uzel. The incident occurred in the village of Zeda Chkutuneti, of the Khelvachauri district of Ajaria, located several kilometers from the Turkish border. Meanwhile, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili continues his stay in the Ajarian autonomous republic, leading the election campaign of his "National Movement" party, which is contesting the elections for the supreme soviet under the slogan "Saakashvili for victorious Ajaria." Yesterday the president was in the Khuloi district of Ajaria where he held a meeting with the local population and attended the local mosque, where he gave assurances that the government will support representatives of all confessions equally.
It should be noted that a portion of the Ajari
population embrace Islam, which is the result of
the three-century occupation of the region by the
Ottoman empire, and the employment during this
time by the Turkish authorities of a policy of
forced conversion of Ajari Georgians to Islam.
After the return of Ajaria to Georgia there began
a process of the return of the local population to
Christianity, which has become especially
pronounced in the recent past. At the present
time, according to approsimate estimates, the
number of Muslims and Christians in the autonomous
republic is about equal, with Christians
predominating in the cities and coastal villages,
and Muslims in the mountainous regions. Against
the background of the movement for a return of
Ajaris to Christianity, mass baptisms of families,
villages, and clans have taken place. (tr. by PDS) |
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