DATE=12/10/1999
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
TITLE=YEARENDER: CENTRAL ASIA - RELIGIOUS ACTIVISM
NUMBER=5-44959
BYLINE=ALI JALALI
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
INTERNET=YES
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The closing year of the twentieth century saw
a significant upsurge of terrorist acts in Central
Asia - a region sandwiched between Russia, China, Iran
and Afghanistan. Most of the violence has been blamed
on foreign-backed Islamic extremists who use the
religion to advance their political agenda. V-O-A's
Ali Jalali looks at the emergence of Islam as a
political force in Central Asia and its impact on
long-term stability in the region.
TEXT: Acts of violence ascribed to Islamist radicals
hit virtually every Central Asian state this year.
In February, several bomb blasts rocked the Uzbek
capital of Tashkent, killing sixteen and wounding
nearly one hundred people. The attacks were blamed on
the banned Islamic opposition, allegedly trying to
assassinate President Islam Karimov and overthrow his
secular government.
In Tajikistan, the footprints of extremist militants
were said to have been visible in a series of bomb
attacks and gun battles in the streets of Dushanbe.
In May, radical elements were also involved in
factional clashes in the mountainous hollows of the
eastern Qarategin valley.
The violence took a dramatic turn in August when
hundreds of guerillas, identified as followers of the
notorious Uzbek Islamic leader Jumma Namangani,
stormed into Kyrgyzstan and took several hostages,
including four Japanese geologists. The rebels based
in Tajikistan were trying to cross into Uzbekistan,
where the underground Islamic opposition is growing.
During the following months, Kyrgyz security forces
backed by Russia and Central Asian neighbors waged a
drawn out battle with the rebels in the remote
southwestern mountainous regions of Kyrgyzstan. The
clashes left many civilians dead and displaced
thousands more before the guerrillas returned to their
Tajik bases in October and released their hostages.
The violence raised new security concerns in a region
already troubled by a host of social and economic
problems. The Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe (O-S-C-E) warned last month that
"a new Kosovo" might be looming in the strife-ridden
Central Asia. O-S-C-E's high commissioner for
national minorities, Max Van der Stoel, told V-O-A the
recent violence in Kyrgyzstan heralds wider ethnic
problems.
/// Van der Stoel Act ///
There is no doubt that religious extremists are
quite active in the above (Central Asian) states
and that can create the risk of destabilization
. There are also indications of other efforts of
religious extremists to create tensions which
could also lead to inter-ethnic tensions.
/// End Act ///
Officials in the region claim that foreign-trained
Islamic extremists are responsible for the rapid
spread of violence. The rise of the radical Islamic
Taleban movement in Afghanistan and its perceived
threat to Central Asia are often cited as a source of
instability. Uzbekistan's top religious official,
Mufti Abdurashid Kory Bahramov, says the mainstream
Islam in Central Asia - which, he says, promotes
peace, moderation and civil order - is threatened by
foreign-inspired Muslim radicals.
/// Mufti Act in Uzbek - Fade under ///
He says political exploitation of religion runs
against what he calls the genuine principles of the
faith. The various trends of Islamic fundamentalism
that, he says, infiltrated the region from abroad are
using Islamic references to advance personal goals.
But, independent analysts argue that all terrorist
actions are not linked to an Islamic revival. Nor is
the religious opposition in central Asia an
exclusively foreign-inspired force. John
Schoeberlein, director of the Forum for Central Asian
Studies at Harvard University, says the situation is
far more complicated.
/// Schoeberlein Act ///
Those who take Islam as a way of transforming
the society in opposition to the current
governments in the region do have more than just
their personal ambitions behind them. Of
course, there are many groups involved in this
and it is a mistake to suppose that this
political Islam in Central Asia is a unified
tendency, and certainly a mistake to suppose
that it comes exclusively from the outside. It
is within every country in Central Asia. There
are segments of the population who would look to
Islam as a means of mobilizing to achieve their
political goals, which include perhaps their
personal power and perhaps other things as well.
/// End Act ///
Independent observers recognize the legitimate
security concerns of the governments in the region and
a need to stem the destabilizing effects of religious
extremism. But they also note that religious activism
is mostly linked to deteriorating economic conditions,
social problems and political intolerance of the
rulers.
Human Rights Groups say that instead of addressing the
underlying conditions that offer a breeding ground for
radical Islam, governments in the region play up the
Islamic threat to crackdown on political opponents.
/// Opt ///
In its most recent report (December 9), the New York-
based Human Rights Watch indicates that following the
February bombings of government buildings in Tashkent,
the Uzbek government stepped up its crackdown on
independent political and religious groups, including
those that practice Islam outside government control.
Mr. Van der Stoel warns that a disproportionate
response to religious violence can cause more trouble.
/// Van der Stoel Act ///
One has to be careful that in taking counter-
measures only terrorists will be hit (should be
targeted) and there will be no actions which
would affect other groups of people in a
negative way. If they (the governments) are not
careful there, it could only lead to more
sympathy for these extremists, so it has to be
strong but at the same time proportionate
response.
/// End Act ///
Analysts note that the powerful cultural roots of
Islam in Central Asia and its influence over social
life have driven both the governments and the
opposition to politicize the faith in favor of their
goals. Dr. Schoeberlein notes that the resulting
polarization adds to the ongoing political tension.
/// Schoeberlein Act ///
This kind of polarization is exactly what can
lead to strengthening, in my view, of the
politicization of Islam in the region. So it is
very important to move away, it seems to me,
from the mode that existed during the Soviet
times where there was an official farm of Islam,
official Soviet Islamic hierarchy, but every
thing else that was outside that was considered
negative and anti-state. I think as long as
that kind of polarization exists then Islam will
continue to play an increasing problematic
political role.
/// End Act ///
/// End Opt ///
Harvard University's Dr. Schoeberlein says failure to
provide a sphere of activity for moderate political
movements, including the Islamic opposition, will
further strengthen the extremist Muslim groups in
Central Asia.
The best prospect for a long-term solution to the
problem, analysts suggest, should be sought through
economic development, creating jobs for millions of
unemployed youth, and promoting dialogue between the
people across this region. (signed)
NEB/AJ/JP
10-Dec-1999 12:57 PM EDT (10-Dec-1999 1757 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
