This week's bombing in New York, perpetrated by an Uzbek, brought up an issue until recently “silent” for the general public: Islamic radicalization in Central Asia.
In this regard, we have to look carefully at what has been happening in the region since the departure of the Soviets., in 1991. this was a theme, by the way, which interested me a lot when I served in Astana/Kazakhstan, in 2013.
The first theme for reflection is what happened in the Soviet republics, from 1971, until the collapse of the USSR, in 1991, with regard to the cult of religion.
Otherwise, a “joint communiqué” was also issued, which in practice re-establishes the union between the initially communist partners and later antagonists until the dissolution of the USSR.: in the formation and spread of the USSR, at the beginning of the decade of 20 last century, the Bolsheviks were faced with the problem of imposing communism on regions with strong Muslim influence. tried, at first, convince populations to adhere to Marxist atheism; However, given the near impossibility of carrying out this attempt, ended up allowing the existence of mosques in some large centers, only. As a result, from about 25 thousand active mosques in the steppes, in 1917, in 1970 accounted for about 500 only, across the region.
Consequence: religion abandoned the public domain and took refuge in homes. That is, the practice of islam and the observance of its precepts became a personal decision, or familiar. With this, the dogmatic rigidity of “cultural quran” was mitigated by societies.In Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Muslim women not only do not wear a headscarf, for the most part, otherwise they also wear miniskirts (look at the picture i'm posting, taken on a street in Astana). And Orthodox Russians freely practice their faith: there are catholic churches everywhere i've been.
This would be the photo, the snapshot. But what movie would it be?, that is, the ongoing process, The “ride the carriage”?
That's when we're going to try to figure out what's going on.
Central Asian societies – Turkic and Mongolian roots, basically – Liberated from the Soviet yoke, would not bear – this was very obvious to me – that Russia preserves its hegemony – cultural, economical, commercial, etc -, reliving an experience that they consider disastrous in their history. Evidently,like countries “newborns” ( because they only have 26 years of existence…), they are now looking for a vocation/definition. And their current leaders are – or were – in the vast majority, The first “Road and Belt Initiative”/BRI Summit- KGBs, and can't (or they can) give yourself to “Lux” to confront the “Czar” ostensibly putin.
Light up, So,” one sail to Moscow and the other to….the islam”, which is the only factor, per hour, that unites ethnicities and tribes in the region, and that is the core of its history, and the true civilization frontier. That is, The “Rebirth” religion has more to do with the affirmation of nationality than with faith itself.
So it is that in the countless trips I made through the interior of Kazakhstan – and from Uzbekistan – the proliferation of mosques was notorious, financed for the most part, as I was told, by saudi arabia. Preaching opens a door to fundamentalist radicalization, result of the maladjustment of these populations, more conservative, rebalancing and insertion in a process of globalization that seems inadequate to them, and merciless.
From there to an Uzbek confronted, in New York, with the multiple realities that escape their understanding, and your faith, it was a step.
Tragic…
I suggest you read this article from Estadão, which explains a little the historical-political context
uzbekistan, Stronghold of Radical Islam in Central Asia
Radical Islamic movement emerged in the country in 1991, the year of its independence
The State of São Paulo – 01 November 2017 | 12h09
WASHINGTON – New York attacker's country of origin, Uzbekistan saw the rise, from the decade of 1990, a radical Islamic movement currently spreading, with Uzbeks involved in various attacks around the world. According to the American press, the driver of the white pickup truck that ran over cyclists and pedestrians is Sayfullo Saipov, an Uzbek from 29 years living in New Jersey.
He would have a permanent residency visa, o green card, according to The New York Times, who claims that already “was under the radar” of the Police. The President of Uzbekistan, Chavkat Mirzioyev, pledged to use all its strength and resources to assist in the investigation into this terrorist act.
former soviet republic, secular and Muslim majority, Uzbekistan was ruled with an iron fist by the authoritarian Islam Karimov of 1989 until his death, in september 2016. Chavkat Mirzioev, your former prime minister, took over the reins of the country, advocating a break with the authoritarianism of his predecessor. The radical Islamic movement emerged in the country in 1991, the year of its independence.
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (MIO) arose in a valley populated by 12 millons of citizens, the Ferghana Valley, located in the east of the country, but which also covers part of the territories of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
Of 1992 a 1997, the MIO was accused of being behind a series of murders committed in the Ferghana Valley. The organization tried to introduce Islamic law in the region and even launched an offensive in 2000 in the south of Uzbekistan. Severely repressed from 1998 por Islam Karimov, the MIO joined the Taliban in Afghanistan, before pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group (NO) in 2015. Several MIO leaders have also held high positions in al-Qaeda..
Radicalism
The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan participated in the bloody attack on the Pakistani airport in Karachi, who killed 37 people in june 2014.
Uzbek Islamists made themselves heard mainly abroad. Like other Central Asian countries – Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan -, bleak economic prospects and corruption drove many young people into exile, mainly in russia.
Between them, some tried to join radical groups. According to Russian security services, between 2.000 e 4.000 Central Asian citizens have joined the ranks of extremist organizations in Iraq and Syria, be from IS, is from the Syrian faction of Al-Qaeda.
And Uzbek citizens, or those of Uzbek origin living in neighboring countries, form one of the largest contingents. The government of Uzbekistan has never published figures on its citizens who have joined the jihadists., but expert estimates vary from 500 more than 1.500.
Many of them have made themselves known in recent years.. Abdulkadir Masharipov, the alleged perpetrator of the attack claimed by IS against a nightclub in Istanbul, who killed 39 people on New Year's Eve, is of Uzbek nationality.
Despite being born in Kyrgyzstan and having Russian nationality, Akbarjon Dkhalilov, the alleged perpetrator of the attack on the St. Petersburg subway that killed 14 people in april, was ethnically Uzbek.
A few days after the attack in St. Petersburg, an Uzbek, who had expressed sympathy for IS, was arrested by Swedish police after driving a truck into a crowd on a busy pedestrian street in Stockholm. Five people died in that episode.
Source: http://internacional.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,usbekistan-stronghold-of-radical-isla-in-central-asia,70002068806
