Islamic trends in Fergana valley
Besides its color revolution, bloody suppressions of peaceful demonstrations and civil war, Fergana valley is becoming famous also for being an area that gives births to different trends within Islam religion. It is hard to find a true answer why the area that had been ruled by the super-secular Soviet government for almost seven decades, has now become a place, where suddenly Islam matters very much. Was it a religious freedom that came with the fall of Soviet Union or secular governments’ tactics to treat Islam as a scapegoat for all “bad things” happening in the region?
If you ask me, I would answer both. The fall of Soviet Union was unexpected and therefore governments of newly independent Central Asian states were not ready to implement effective (secular) policies in religious sphere during the early years of independence. Islam developed not fully controlled by the secular governments and as a result, when Islam started challenging the secular regime in all three Fergana valley countries, the governments started putting very harsh policies on Islam. However, it must be also admitted that Fergana valley governments often exaggerate the reality. Secular governments very often treat Islamic groups as a scapegoat of doing certain delinquent actions and use it to legitimize the harsh policy on them. Or, the law enforcement bodies take advantage of it and blame Islamic groups for committing some undetected crime. Violent suppression of a peaceful demonstration in Andijon in May 2005 Fergana valley and the results of investigation of Alisher Saipov’s murder are very clear examples to that. In Andijon events, the Uzbek government suppressed peaceful demonstration by means of arms and violence and later blamed so-called Akromiya religious group for that. The law enforcement bodies in Kyrgyzstan suspected Hizb ut-Tahrir, an unofficial religious party, for murder of journalist Alisher Saipov, because the latter had connections with party members.
As Fergana.ru reports, a new Islamic group emerged in Fergana valley. They call themselves qora sallalilar (black turbans), as all their members wear black turbans. The group emerged in Kokand city and reportedly has about 1000 members and its membership is widening. Fergana.ru refers to religious clerks, who deny the legitimacy of the new group and consider them as ‘an abomination in the eyes of true Islam because they divide the faithful’.
The Uzbek authorities maintain a tight grip on all alternative schools of Islam. They successfully fought the Wahhabi in the early 1990, imprisoning both the Wahhabi and innocents by the thousand. Every Moslem sporting a long beard automatically became a suspect.
If Qora sallalilar gain popularity in the region, which is very much possible, we can expect that they will meet the same fate as Hizb ut-Tahrir and Wahabiya in near future - the Uzbek government will suspect everyone, who wears dark turbans. And I am very much sure that other neighboring Fergana valley states will follow Uzbekistan.
on March 23rd, 2008 at 11:34 am
I would like to as some questions and comment on your writings, if you don’t mind.
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Besides its color revolution, bloody suppressions of peaceful demonstrations and civil war, Fergana valley is becoming famous also for being an area that gives births to different trends within Islam religion.
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1. What kind of “color revolution” are you talking about?
There was no “color revolution” in Uzbekistan for literally two reasons: a) there was no active political party who enjoyed large public support and sought political objectives; b) what happened in Andijon cannot be compared with what happened in Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. There uprisings came in protest of election results, whereas in Andijan it was an armed rebellion of a religious group and demonstrations of their extended families. You must be able to see the difference.
2. What do you mean and understand when you say “peaceful demonstration”?
I think you must be very careful when you say “peaceful.” If you understand something about Central Asian mentality and political culture you should be able to note that there is virtually no recorded example of “peaceful demonstration” in Uzbekistan, except May First and November 7th communist parades, of course. Both sides, public and government in this country are not familiar with the concept of “peaceful demonstration.”
Tragedy in Andijon started with an armed attack to local prison and government offices. This is not “peaceful”. I am not even going to ask you about why and where did those people get guns. Then they tried to stage a “public demonstration” several times, first with less success and gradually attracting some crowd, primarily their own extended families. Watch the video on youtube and you will see that they had been following pre-designed action-plans (military ones). None wants that kind of “peaceful demonstration” and “color revolution” or do you?
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It is hard to find a true answer why the area that had been ruled by the super-secular Soviet government for almost seventy decades, has now become a place, where suddenly Islam matters very much.
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The answer is very easy actually:
1. U.S. pays zillions of dollars to the Saudi and override their own core values when dealing with Saudi Arabia (yes, Saudi is a son of a gun, but it is an American son of a gun, you know).
2. Dirty vahhabis become rich and they invent a game called PetroIslam. Using their oil revenues (actually what is left from paying to sluts and pornsellers) to spread their ugly doctrine in poor regions.
3. Densely populated, sociall, economically, and politically devastated Ferghana Valley with its naive people with high curiosity and respect to Islam becomes an easy game for vahhabi petroislamists.
Summary: US money->PetroIslam->Politics of Despair->>Vahhabism and Instability.
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Was it a religious freedom that came with the fall of Soviet Union or secular governments’ tactics to treat Islam as a scapegoat for all “bad things” happening in the region?
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Like I said: it was Vahhabi money and poor political and economic situation in the region.
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The fall of Soviet Union was unexpected and therefore governments of newly independent Central Asian states were not ready to implement effective (secular) policies in religious sphere during the early years of independence.
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1. Government should not and cannot “implement effective secular policies in religious sphere.”
2. But our overnight democrats who are in real atheists see religion as the “opium of the masses.”
3. Vahhabi money had already penetrated the region before the collapse of the soviet union and they had gained some power in Namangan city. Vahhabis take no “effective secular policy” as satisfactory to them, the final goal is duplicate version of saudi arabia, nothing less. If you resist, they will fight. oops, dead-end.
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Islam developed not fully controlled by the secular governments and as a result, when Islam started challenging the secular regime in all three Fergana valley countries, the governments started putting very harsh policies on Islam. However, it must be also admitted that Fergana valley governments often exaggerate the reality.
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Islam should not be controlled by any kind of government, especially by ATHEIST government. Islam cannot and did not challenge anyone, it is a religious faith. Vahhabi petroIslamists did, though and their challenge was: establishment of saudi-like state by either buying-off everyone or fighting down. Do you know that the number of the Saudi monarch’s wives is a state secret? Did you wanted to see another state that would have basically resembled more to Taliban who was less blessed with oil than Saudi?
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Secular governments very often treat Islamic groups as a scapegoat of doing certain delinquent actions and use it to legitimize the harsh policy on them. Or, the law enforcement bodies take advantage of it and blame Islamic groups for committing some undetected crime.
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1. Uzbekistan has an atheist authoritarian ruler that have stayed in power since 1988 that turned democrat virtually overnight. Secularism and atheism are two different things.
2. While Uzbek communists bought the idea of atheism pretty well, they did not buy the idea of communism. The rule of a greedy, corrupt, russified, and atheist government turned out to be a deadly curse of Uzbeks.
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Violent suppression of a peaceful demonstration in Andijon in May 2005 Fergana valley…..
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It should be as “Violent and armed uprising in Andijon in May 2005 has suppressed by even more violent and merciless forces of the government…”
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In Andijon events, the Uzbek government suppressed peaceful demonstration by means of arms and violence and later blamed so-called Akromiya religious group for that.
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I will not be tired of repeating this: it was not a “peaceful demonstration,” it was a “violent and armed uprising.”
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The law enforcement bodies in Kyrgyzstan suspected Hizb ut-Tahrir, an unofficial religious party, for murder of journalist Alisher Saipov, because the latter had connections with party members.
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Hizb ut Tahrir is an outlawed organization in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Uzbek government treats it as a political crime. Al Qaida is, for example, an outlawed organization in the US. But unlike Uzbekistan, the US treats them as “enemy combatants” who are not entitled to any universal citizenship rights and so, eligible to be killed instantly at first sight.
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As Fergana.ru reports, a new Islamic group emerged in Fergana valley. They call themselves qora sallalilar (black turbans), as all their members wear black turbans. The group emerged in Kokand city and reportedly has about 1000 members and its membership is widening.
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Who wears black turbans, is it so much of a mystery to you? Come on! Vahhabi-funded, Pakistani-trained and nurtured, and Pashtun-backed fanatical group called TALIBAN wears black turbans. TAHIR YOLDOSH, who is sheltered by TALIBAN wears black turban, check out youtube.
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The Uzbek authorities maintain a tight grip on all alternative schools of Islam. They successfully fought the Wahhabi in the early 1990, imprisoning both the Wahhabi and innocents by the thousand.
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“Alternatuve schools”? Do you know anything Islamic society and culture of Central Asia and Islamic theology in general? If you belong to one branch of Sunni group, the other Sunni groups should not attempt to convert you to their school of thought. There are four schools of thought within Sunni doctrine and Central Asians are of Khanafi schools of thought. “Alternative schools” are illegitimate, self-proclaimed, divisive, and destructive, ex: Vahhabizm.
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Every Moslem sporting a long beard automatically became a suspect.
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Are you familiar with the concept of “criminal profiling”? If an overwhelming majority of convicted criminals have one common attribute (be it a beard in the Uzbek case or racial identity in the US case), then law enforcement offices follow this attribute as a potential lead. Uzbek law enforcement officials are not doing anything wrong from their professional point of view.
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If Qora sallalilar gain popularity in the region, which is very much possible, we can expect that they will meet the same fate as Hizb ut-Tahrir and Wahabiya in near future - the Uzbek government will suspect everyone, who wears dark turbans.
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A state, whether authoritarian like Uzbekistan or constitutional monarchy like Spain, maintains army, policy, law enforcement, and other forces to defend itself from internal and external threats to its security. What do you expect the state do when a religious fanatical sect poses a threat to its very existence let alone security? Whether Uzbekistan or Sweden, any state would act in exactly the same way to defend itself from existential threats. The United States is bombing countries and places around the world to destroy the sources of possible threats that can potentially be harmful in predictable future.
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And I am very much sure that other neighboring Fergana valley states will follow Uzbekistan.
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I can assert with no less certainty that Britain will also follow the same suit in dealing with Hizb ut Tahrir al Islami (that has its headquarters in London) if it focuses its mission of establishing an Islamic Caliphate instead of Great Britain instead of its operations in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Central Asian countries to struggle to establish an islamic khaliphate in place of Great Britain.
P.S.: Put neweurasia.net on your list of blocked sites and never dare to write articles unless you raise your knowledge and information at least to undergraduate level in international relations with 2.8 GPA (because that is me).
on March 23rd, 2008 at 11:52 am
“Tragedy in Andijon started with an armed attack to local prison and government offices. This is not “peaceful”.”
No it is/was not. Why should it be? Violence against the state terrorism of the Karimov regime is perfectly legitimate. There is no other way.
“unless you raise your knowledge and information at least to undergraduate level in international relations with 2.8 GPA (because that is me).”
on March 23rd, 2008 at 12:31 pm
Ataman Rakin,
I did not say people should or should not engage in violent uprisings against their governments, I simply said that any state responds to armed uprisings that aims to replace it by the use of force, not only Uzbekistan, but Saudi Arabia as well. If for example, a small group of communist people will stage an armed marches the Saudi Arabia will use force to contain them.
All states behave in the same way in order to defend themselves.
on March 25th, 2008 at 8:19 am
seventy decades???!!!
on March 25th, 2008 at 3:34 pm
“It is hard to find a true answer why the area that had been ruled by the super-secular Soviet government for almost seven decades, has now become a place, where suddenly Islam matters very much. Was it a religious freedom that came with the fall of Soviet Union or secular governments’ tactics to treat Islam as a scapegoat for all “bad things” happening in the region?”
It’s both, although I would not say that the fall of the USSR brought ‘religious freedom’ esp. not in UZ. Also, people are looking for an identity at times where they are a) being confronted with globalisation and b) where all ‘import ideologies’ (Soviet Communism, secular nationalism, liberal democracy) have failed or are, at least, seriously discredited.
The driving factor behind renewed interest for Islam is not so much poverty but *social mobility* IMHO. Social environments change, often abruptly: USSR collapse, ‘transition’, etc. That makes them mobile, most often when they try to cope with those changes: a) horizontally mobile (e.g. rural-urban migration, seasonal work abroad) and well as b) vertically mobile (e.g. impoverishment/ enrichment, change of occupation, access to new media, people’s intellectual status that does not match social-financial status, … ). In turn, that leads to a) erosion of traditional cultural frameworks (Soviet/traditionalist) and leaves a cultural void which has to be filled (that’s where religion, in this case Islam, comes in); b) new expectations/ambitions and, unavoidably, frustrations.
What I noticed in all these years is, that those who are most panicky and hyper-ventilating about that so-called “Islamskaya ugroza” are either ethnic Russians (esp. women) and heavily russianised/ westernised and urban Central Asians who most often have no clue about/have a visceral fear for anyone and anything outside of their own surroundings.
on March 25th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
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What I noticed in all these years is, that those who are most panicky and hyper-ventilating about that so-called “Islamskaya ugroza” are either ethnic Russians (esp. women) and heavily russianised/ westernised and urban Central Asians who most often have no clue about/have a visceral fear for anyone and anything outside of their own surroundings.
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Let us not tie it to a certain ethnicity because this can be at least problematic if not dangerous. Those people you mentioned can generally be called “model Soviet citizens” who are atheist, communist, and rusophile.
Unfortunately Uzbekistan formally became indipendent from the USSR but never from well-trained local apparatchiks who can never change. People of Uzbekistan have not had their chances for national self-determination, that chance had died with the democratic opposition of the early nineties.
on March 28th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
“TAHIR YOLDOSH, who is sheltered by TALIBAN wears black turban, check out youtube.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ABphHY8B1I
on March 28th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Ataman Rakin:
Youtube had plenty of videos of Tahir Yoldash recently, but when I checked it now, almost all of those videos are “unvailable” and the accounts of those who posted videos about him are “suspended”. I did not know that Youtube also has censorship.
But one video is still available:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXOjL33xEOw&feature=related