Uzbekistan represses Islamists

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 15 Apr 2024 by Alex Teddy
In April 2024 the Uzbek government responded to the March 2024 Crocus City Hall attacks in Moscow by ramping up police action against those suspected of religious extremism and terrorism. The police have searched the residences of suspects. The public have been told not to put their children into Islamic madrassas in other countries. Islamic religious leaders have been forbidden to go abroad and their passports have been confiscated. Uzbekistan is doing this partly to placate Russia. It is also a convenient excuse for the Uzbek government to jail dissidents, even if they are totally secular, by mislabeling them Islamists. The great majority of Uzbeks are Sunni Muslims. However, many are non-observant. Mosques are allowed but it is said that imams are required to be police informers. The Crocus City Hall attack was allegedly carried out by Tajiks. No Uzbeks are suspected of being involved, but there has been a wave of xenophobia against all Central Asians. Many Russians do not distinguish between Tajiks and Uzbeks, saying they look the same. The Crocus City Hall attacks was perpetrated by Islamic State. Hundreds of Uzbeks joined Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. Russia has arrested many suspects and in some cases expelled Central Asian guest workers from the country. The police raid dormitories where Central Asians live. 5% of the workforce in Russia is made up of Central Asians. In sanitation, construction and farming the figure is higher. Russia needs them more than ever because many Russian males have been drafted or have emigrated.  Uzbekistan has 36 million people, making it the most populous nation in Central Asia and the 3rd most populous in the former USSR. Remit...

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