Uzbek imam sacked over loudspeaker ban

A religious leader in Uzbekistan, who opposed a ban on the use of loudspeakers for the Muslim call to prayer, has been sacked.

The imam, Tulkun Ergashev, who leads prayers in a mosque in the capital, Tashkent, told the BBC he had been dismissed unfairly.

Uzbekistan's pro-government religious authorities announced last week that loudspeakers should no longer be used in the call to prayer because they were too noisy and disturbed people's sleep.

Mr Ergashev's dismissal follows a demonstration yesterday in Tashkent by Uzbek women, also protesting against the ban on loudspeakers.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service