DUSHANBE, June 24 Tajikistan said Wednesday that the alleged leader of a banned Islamic movement and dozens of followers have been arrested on charges of inciting religious hatred. The arrests reflect mounting concern over the persistent popularity of radical Islamic groups in this poor ex-Soviet nation, which shares a porous 1,300-km border with Afghanistan.

Security Service officers detained Mullo Sirodzhiddin, leader of the ultraconservative Salafiya movement, and about 40 followers on Tuesday during a sermon at a mosque in the capital, Dushanbe, the Interior Ministry said.

“The detainees were taken to the premises of the National Security Service, which is where they are being held now,” the statement said.

Inciting religious or ethnic hatred is punishable by up to 12 years in jail in Tajikistan.

The Salafiya movement, which has been banned in Tajikistan since the beginning of the year, is estimated to have an overall membership in Tajikistan of around 20,000 people, mostly young men.

Salafism is an ultraconservative Islamic movement that has grown in popularity across the Middle East and in Central Asia in recent decades. It preaches strict segregation of the sexes and resists any innovation in religion or adoption of Western ways. Tajik authorities say many of Salafiya's members received their religious training at madrassas in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Yemen.—AP