Renowned UFC fighter Rafael Fiziev announced that he would no longer go out to fight with the flag of Kyrgyzstan. He told about it in a video message posted on his Instagram account.
He said that he was subjected to religious persecution by the country’s muftiyat and some influential people. For this reason, he also plans to leave the country.
«Today my family and I faced harassment from the muftiyat, as well as from famous people in Kyrgyzstan. Because of this harassment and false videos my family and I receive a lot of angry messages from all over Kyrgyzstan. And we are not talking about dozens, but hundreds and thousands of messages,» the fighter said.
The reason of the persecution is a video he filmed in Iraq, presumably in the Ali ibn Abi Talib mosque. Comments on the post were very harsh and the athlete turned them off. Later, ex-mufti Maksat Toktomushev commented on the situation. He stressed that Rafael Fiziev is the pride of Kyrgyzstan, but criticized him for his religious views.
