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Martha Brill Olcott
Senior Associate
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The history of the development of Islamic radicalism in Uzbekistan, and in Central Asia more generally, is a potentially contentious one. There is very little agreement either within the policy community in the U.S. or in these countries themselves, as to what Islamic radicalism is, and who among devout Muslims should be considered as posing a threat to the secular regime.
This paper will provide some answers to this question. It offers an in-depth look at a number of prominent clerics from Uzbekistan who have been labeled either “fundamentalist” or “Wahhabis,” who were instrumental in the development or radical Islam in Uzbekistan. It looks at their teachings, their teachers, and their influence on political and social behavior in Uzbekistan.
Central Asia’s Muslims have traditionally practiced Islam as it is interpreted by the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence, which is known for its liberalness and respect for personal freedom. Although there have been Salafi Muslims in the area, those who reject all four schools of Islamic jurisprudence, historically they have not played a strong role in the region. This creates an up-hill battle for modern day proponents of a return to the “Caliphate.”
