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RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES
Topic:
Religious Freedom and State Religion Policies in Central Asia
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BINALI 1
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES IN CENTRAL ASIA
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Religious Freedom and State Religion Polices in Central Asia
Introduction
Central Asia forms the largest part of the Asian continent. It is composed of five main
countries including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan although
Afghanistan is sometimes included. Islam is the most practiced religion in Central Asia with
Sunnis being the dominant division of the religious groups (Achilov & Shaykhutdinov, 2011).
The religion of Islam began in the 8th as it formed part of conquest of Muslim for the region.
Indeed most known philosophers and Islamic scientists hail from Central Asia as it also has
major Muslim empires. The historical battle between Chinese Tang dynasty and the Abbasid
caliphate in 751 aimed at controlling Central Asia formed the turning point for conversion of
masses into the Islam religion. By the 10th century, many of the Turkic people had been
converted to Islam (Achilov & Shaykhutdinov, 2011). Islamisation has therefore become part of
the culture for the natives and has led to formation of different kinds of practices.
Other religious groups are also contained in the region including Protestants, Russian
orthodox, Catholics as well other minority religions. The state has enacted laws that govern the
religious groups and the expression of the different beliefs (Achilov & Shaykhutdinov, 2011).
Religious freedom has been stipulated in the different constitutions and relevant regulatory
bodies put in place to regulate their enforcement. The state policies have included among many
other elements registration of the legal religious groups and governing the effect of the beliefs to
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES IN CENTRAL ASIA
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the society. International organizations have been involved in the religious affairs and state
policies in the republic of Central Asia.
State of Religious Freedom in Central Asia
The religious freedom in the five republics in Central Asia has been a major concern due
to the reported cases of persecution and infringement on the rights to worship (Achilov, 2012).
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan are the most affected in the republics with a greater number of
records of persecutions and state policies governing religion. Human rights in these countries are
only enshrined in the constitution and never practiced. Strict policies and constant regulations
have been put up by the governments to fully regulate the religious activities most often with
detrimental effects to the violators (Achilov, 2012). Despite the two countries being members of
the United Nations, the international human rights are greatly abused especially along religious
lines due to claims of preventing terrorism in the country. Official permission from the state
officials is required for carrying out of any religious activities, which are rarely granted. Personal
copies of religious materials including Qurans and the Bible are prohibited and should not be
stored in the houses of believers. These are just a few among the strict rules that are used to
condemn religion yet the countries purport to confer religious freedom (Achilov, 2012).
During the Soviet Rule, religion was unheard of as the affairs of the state were not
influenced by religion at all. This led to decrease in religious beliefs and open worship across the
republic of Central Asia. However decades after independence, the vice still prevails even more
brutally. This poses the question as to the significance of independence to the citizens of Central
Asia especially Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan (Achilov, 2012). The following paper will focus
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES IN CENTRAL ASIA
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on the religious freedom of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan as a representative of the prevailing
conditions of religion in Central Asia. It will also address the state religion policies in each
country that have been put in place to regulate the religious activity. This will be a deeper focus
on the persecutions of minorities and the strict restrictions hampering the exercise of faith in the
countries. Nevertheless, the paper will first indulge a bit into the historical era of the Soviet
Union rule, its collapse and effects on the religious practice in Central Asia as a whole (Achilov,
2012). Lastly, the threat of terrorism b religious extremists will be addressed and the dangers the
literalists pose to their countries as well as the world as a whole.
The Soviet Union and Constrains on Islam
After the Russian revolutions in 1917 followed by the civil war, the outcomes led to
Marxist opposition to religion. The Soviet Rule was enacted that greatly put restraint on religion
in the region, unlike the Russian empire that tolerated the Islam practice (Agadjanian &
Makarova, 2003). The main aim of the Soviet union of Central Asia was to form a modern type
of society aimed at increased industrialization with minimal or no social antagonisms. The
implementation of the policy entailed the secularization of all the societies, cultural development
and urbanization. Also, acceleration of economic growth, dismantling of parochial loyalties and
local ties as well as basing socialization on a uniform set of values that would be communist.
The first few years of the rule of Bolshevik in 1920, were dominated by the Soviet
officials trying to take over most of the Central Asia resources (Agadjanian & Makarova, 2003).
This included the building of schools, modernizing the culture as well as enhancing the position
of women in the society. Also, there was enhanced relationship among the Bolshevik and the
jadids who pushed for the transformation of the cultural and social reforms in the region. The
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES IN CENTRAL ASIA
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Bolshevik utilized propaganda to create a Marxist ideology and focused only in appointing
officials that favored the rule. In the 1920s, the political regime divided Central Asia into
republics along ethnic lines (Agadjanian & Makarova, 2003). The stronghold of the Soviets had
increased by 1926, and this is when the condemnation of Islam began. The Soviet government
formed a policy that stopped the tolerance of Islam through the closure of religious schools and
promotion of state-run schools.
By 1929, several campaigns aimed at closing down mosques occurred. There were no
records of these campaigns, but observers claimed that it was poorly controlled and often violent.
Imams were arrested, religious buildings destroyed, and people were forced to denounce Islam as
it had caused problems in the establishment of communism (Agadjanian & Makarova, 2003).
Nevertheless, the Islamic religion was not wiped out by the Soviet government. The religion was
however greatly transformed into a more tradition and localized practiced and never a public
affair. This led to decreased talk about Islam and the knowledge about it decreased markedly.
Also, the Islam religion was not applied to the value and ethics of the region and a lot of the
practices were homogenized.
Religious authorities were not allowed to communicate in any way, and the religious
practices were governed by Administration of the Muslims of Kazakhstan and Central Asia. This
led to decreased activity and role of religion in the administration of the region (Agadjanian &
Makarova, 2003). Indeed, the Islamic contribution to the society was regarded as irrelevant as
the Soviet Union was on strict watch. According to common belief, the Islam religion did not
serve as a system for alternate daily life or a departure point for political critique. However, in
the modern world, this seems to have changed greatly with increasing concerns of extremism and
radicalization among members of the Islamic religion.
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES IN CENTRAL ASIA
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Collapse of the Soviet Union and Rebirth of Islam Religion
Mikhail Gorbachev had enacted the glasnost policy that led to the relaxed controls on
Islam religion. The Islam religion was viewed as a form of identity especially for the youth that
had already witnessed the persecution of fellow Muslims (Agadjanian & Makarova, 2003). There
was increased revival of Islam with several mosques being built, private religious schools as well
as increased literature on the religion. As a matter of the fact, the people of Central Asia wanted
more spiritual and ethical beliefs than Islam could offer. The dissolution of the Soviet Union in
1991 accelerated the Islamic religion in Central Asia, which was now viewed as a national
heritage. Cultural exchanges had already been allowed by the Gorbachev policy and countries
such as Saudi Arabia supplied copies of Quran to Central Asia (Akcali, 1998). The religion was
viewed as a refuge for most of the people due to the many economic and political problems that
dominated the republic due to the collapse of the Soviet Union. People sought the religious
fulfillments for solutions and alternatives in their lives but the restrictions hindered this divine
privilege.
The government discovered the influence of the Islamic groups after the Tajik civil war
in 1992. The political sphere has already been dominated by the Islamic groups that were
consistent in opposing the rule of the republic governments (Akcali, 1998). This is still seen
currently in Countries, such as Nigeria where Islamist groups have taken control of the Northern
part of the country and are still driven to gain control of the entire nation. As a result, the Islamic
renaissance party formed the greatest opposition and was a registered political party in Russia
with great following in Central Asia. Although the communist governments banned political
parties in the region, the group had several roots in each republic. The Tajik civil war lasted up to
1997 in Tajikistan leading to the death of thousands of people as most fled the country into
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES IN CENTRAL ASIA
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Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. To prevent future tensions, the communist government decided to
incorporate Islamic groups in governance especially in Tajik (Akcali, 1998). The other
communist government in Central Asia opposed this and continued the oppression and torture of
Islamists. Other groups supporting the Muslims were present although they demonstrated their
commitment to peace and dialogue rather than wars. The most common was the non-violent
Hizb ut-Tahrir although it has been since outlawed as a potential threat (Akcali, 1998).
Central Asia was an Arab-dominated region. It was until great colonial periods when the
then powerful Soviet Union took control of the region. The Russians attitude towards Islam was
hostile as the Union was considered to take charge of both cultural and political aspects during
colonial periods. Taking control of al mosques was how they tried to control Islam (Akcali,
1998). Surprisingly enough, they clearly understood the power of nationalism and went further to
try with the Islamic culture. The fall of the Soviet Union was highly welcomed in the regions as
its people revolutionized the religion and fostered its widespread.
Great concerns have arisen due to the ever-growing Islamic radicalization. With the
increasing worldwide terror threats, Central Asia harbors one of the most dangerous groups of all
time. The Islamists have deeply taken root by controlling important institutions with an aim of
getting control of the people of Central Asia (Akcali, 1998). Questions have arisen to whether or
not insecurity will arise in Central Asia. Despite the many regimes from countries like the USA,
Central Asia’s political power still seems to be controlled by the Islamists. An unforgettable time
in history was when Iran, though not in Central Asia, was being controlled by the infamous AlQaeda terrorist group. With the insecurities in Central Asia, development in other sectors poses a
challenge to be achieved. As a result, Government corruption seems to be a growing issue as the
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES IN CENTRAL ASIA
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Central Asia’s economy declines (Akcali, 1998). Also, drug addiction proves to be recording the
one of the highest rates across the world.
Of great concern, however, is the rate at which the family traditions, sub-ethnic
regionalism, and religious community have continued to influence politics in the Central Asia
region years after the fall of Soviet Union. These three societies have managed to influence
effectively the existing geopolitical regimes and participated in conflict resolution (Akiner,
2003). It is imperative therefore to ponder on the effects of independence on the religions in
Central Asia. This paper will focus on the prevailing religious freedom and state religion policies
in Central Asia focusing specifically on Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan.
Intersection of Religion and Politics in Central Asia
Islamic revival in Central Asia especially in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan has led to
interdependent developments in the Islamic religion as well as in the country (Akiner, 2003). The
two republics have experienced the birth of new Islamic movements and communities signifying
the diversification of religious values and practices in the region. Also, there has been increased
the fight against Islamic extremists using Western sponsorship so as to control social deviance in
the region. Lastly, the Islamic religion has established financial institutions including banks and
business as well as micro-finances and Islamic endowments (Akiner, 2003). These developments
are a clear interconnect between the state and Islamic religion in the republics. Taking this into
consideration, there needs to be the development of new economic and social regulation to create
a new relation between the society and the state.
Many argue that the reason as to why religion and politics intersect is implementation and
enforcement of the legal rules. The theories of using religious materials in making legal
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES IN CENTRAL ASIA
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decisions are seen in the Central Asia regions (Anceschi, 2010). In search of a legitimate
political ideology when they came with the no other religion issue. The real truth is that they fear
political oppositions from other religious-related movements such as the so-called Caliphate.
With the full knowledge of religious oppression to its citizens, they still carry out with their
ideas. Also, they have been advised by other state governments, the United Nations, and the
Human Rights Watch but have paid no attention the matter (Anceschi, 2010). As a result, these
governments do not only oppress its people religiously but also deny them rights to social and
economic rights. It is the state’s policy and responsibilities to ensure there is political, social and
cultural wellbeing. Under any government, all are equal in the eyes of the law and social justice
and fairness should be extended to its citizens (Anceschi, 2010). For a country to prosper,
citizens should be motivated and given rights to involve themselves in legitimate activities with
no restrictions.
Opening doors to religious freedom will subsequently create and foster peace with other
nations. Ultimately, investors will flock in as the economy grows. Jobs would be created and
people in the region would have a good sense of belonging. These are just a few of any
government or political power’s rules. This, therefore, means that absence of these in Central
Asian religion is a sign of poor governance that would see a nation fall (Anceschi, 2010).
Democracy should be embraced in these countries as one of the means to bring fairness and
justice to the communities. Wrongfully imprisoned people should be set free as the states try to
embrace justice.
From the time in memorial, scholars have tried to understand how and why Islam causes
a lot of harm and injustices yet the Koran is thought to preach about piety in all aspects of people
lives. The concept of the Sharia laws further disputes this argument when its exercises different
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES IN CENTRAL ASIA
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forms of discriminations (Zelkina, 1999). Muslim culture has long been seen and believed to
influence discriminations of its minority religions and even other religions. In the very natural
and earthly laws, there is no such thing as religious monopoly where one religion forcibly takes
charge of other religions on any part of the world. The notion of prohibiting religious freedom as
a way of gaining political power should ultimately come to a stop for the better good.
From a broader point of view, the Islamic religion has no separate boundaries between
religion and powers of the state. Similarly, Islam believes that there should not be public
participation in any form of making or amending the law. Just as the man is not equal to the
woman, is Islam not equal to other forms of religion. Religious links with the government
represent the choices made and not on a deterministic basis (Zelkina, 1999). The religion is
widely known for its abuse of power when it uses parliamentary systems to their advantage. In a
nutshell, many Muslims and scholars strongly dispute the idea that Islam supports democracy.
The Islamic groups have introduced financial institutions in their respective republics to
find a social role as well as incorporate their functions to that of the state (Zelkina, 1999). The
Islamic banks that are run as dictated by their religious beliefs have been encouraged in the
republics of Central Asia. This has promoted investments in the county creating a rapport
between the government and the religious groups. The Shariah banks and Muslim endowments
have been become rather popular in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan (Zelkina, 1999). This has
been seen as a move to relieve the tension between the religious groups and the government.
The Islamic movements have been a threat to the government leading to serious concerns.
The government has therefore adopted mechanism to counter any form of political instability due
to extremism. The government of Turkmenistan has adapted an isolated regime that greatly
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM AND STATE RELIGION POLICIES IN CENTRAL ASIA
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discourages extremism under the leadership of President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov
(Zelkina, 1999). Similarly, the president of Uzbekistan has adapted a pluralistic regime to also
curb extremism. The two republics have sought intervention of other nations in the world
especially the Western countries and Russia in their fight against terrorism. However, no matter
the motive, the government has been using extremism to dismiss legitimate groups that air their
concerns. This has led to tensions between the republics as regime critics have been greatly
silenced due to the linkage to terrorist agenda (Zelkina, 1999). This has caused a disconnect
between the religion and political regimes in the republics. However, the extent of this threat and
radicalization will be discussed later in the paper.
Religious Freedom in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan forms the most popular and greatly armed country in the Central Asia. In this
country, the practice is forbidden by law and any exercise of religious beliefs and practices must
be approved by the state. The country has been on the forefront to condemn Islam after
independence and repress freedom of religion (Zelkina, 1999). This might be surprising
considering that Uzbekistan is the home of greatest imams in the world. President Islam Karimov
survived the fall of the Soviet and had remained in power ever since. Uzbekistan’s regime did
not therefore change their stand on religious affairs in the country. Indeed, the regime continued
the torture and oppression of citizens due to their religious beliefs …
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