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crushing the crescent
ABSTRACT
AS RADICAL ISLAM becomes a more permanent
feature in the global system, governments
are increasingly inventing new ways to regulate and
moderate religious practice. The fear of losing control
over vital national interests has led many newly
independent states to adopt repressive policies toward
Islam. The state of Uzbekistan in particular has
pursued one of the most restrictive policies regarding
Islam in Central Asia. In the name of domestic security,
the Uzbek government maintains that its strong
control over independent religious practice prevents
radicalization and terrorist activity. At the same time,
much has been written about the human rights abuses
allegedly committed by the government in order to
suppress organizations and individuals that don’t fit
neatly into the purview of state-sponsored Islam. This
paper will examine the formation of this policy to
explain how historical precedent and current events
helped shape the government’s approach toward religion.
It will then look at the policy itself, analyzing the
rhetorical, legal, and policing framework in place to
regulate religion. Finally, it will address some potential
effects of this policy to examine how they form a
comprehensive approach toward regulating independent
Islam, and shed some light on whether it is possible
to say that the Uzbek campaign against religion
has either increased or decreased domestic security in
the form of stability.
INTRODUCTION
As radical Islam becomes a
more permanent feature in the
global system, governments are
increasingly inventing new ways
to regulate and moderate religious
practice. The fear of losing
control over vital national interests
has led many newly independent
states to adopt repressive
policies toward Islam. The state
of Uzbekistan in particular has
pursued one of the most restrictive
policies regarding Islam in
Central Asia, and out of 43 countries
profiled, sociologist Matthew
Fox claims that “No Muslim
state engages in more regulation
of Islam than does Uzbekistan.” 1
While the conclusion may be
slightly overstated, it illustrates
a general trend in Uzbekistan,
given the government’s dualistic
approach of promoting organized
state religion as “truly Uzbek” and
restricting what President Islam
Karimov deems “foreign strands”
of Islam that lead to terrorism. 2
In the name of domestic security,
the Uzbek government
maintains that its strong control
over independent religious practice
prevents radicalization and
terrorist activity. At the same
time, much has been written
about the human rights abuses
allegedly committed by the government
in order to suppress organizations
and individuals that
don’t fit neatly into the purview
of state-sponsored Islam. Several
scholars, including Edwin Bakker
and T. Jeremy Gunn, assert that
such strong repression will have
the eventual effect of radicalizing
the Uzbek population, thereby
1 Fox, Jonathan, “Variations on a Theme: State
Policy toward Radical Islam in Four Post-Soviet
Sunni Muslim States,” (Illinois: International Studies
Association, 2007) 13
2 Human Rights Watch,” Creating Enemies of
the State: Religious Persecution in Uzbekistan.”
(March 29, 2004) 6 www.hrw.org/en/
reports/2004/03/29/creating-enemies-state?print
(accessed March 24, 2009)
precipitating the heightened tensions
and decreased security that
the regime hopes to avoid. 3 , 4
The dichotomy between the
Karimov administration’s views
on how to deal with independent
adherents to Islamic groups and
the charges of abuse by outside
observers calls for an analysis of
Uzbekistan’s comprehensive approach
toward restricting the
activity of independent Islam,
especially after 1999. This paper
will examine the formation of
this policy to explain how historical
precedent and current events
helped shape the government’s
approach toward religion. It will
then look at the policy itself, analyzing
the rhetorical, legal, and
policing framework in place to
regulate religion. 5 Finally, it will
address some potential effects of
this policy to examine how they
form a comprehensive approach
toward regulating independent
Islam, and shed some light on
whether it is possible to say that
the Uzbek campaign against religion
has either increased or decreased
domestic security in the
form of stability.
POLICY FORMATION
In order to examine why Uzbekistan
is pursuing its current
course of religious policy, a historical
perspective of Islam in the
country is necessary.
3 Gunn, T. Jeremy, “Shaping an Islamic Identity:
Religion, Islamism, and the State in Central Asia.”
Sociology of Religion, 2003, 64:3 389-410
4 Bakker, Edwin. “Repression, political violence,
and terrorism: the case of Uzbekistan.” Helsinki
monitor, Apr. 2006, Vol. 17 Issue 2, 108-118
5 For the purposes of this analysis, religion refers
mainly to Islam, both mainstream and independent
strands of the faith that encompasses over
80 percent of Uzbeks. (HRW, 14) In this security
context, Islam is the religion that presents the
greatest potential for Uzbek instability; in addition,
it is the most censored religion in the state, thus
providing the means for correlative and casual
analysis.
Journal of International Policy Solutions | spring 2011 | 13