BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan - One of the symptoms of democracy in Kyrgyzstan is the openness of society for different religions, which spread all over Central Asia. Though Islam still remains as dominating religion, its kinds adjusted to any political movements lead to the exacerbation of the situation in the region. In the result of armed opposition on the base of religion in Tajikistan, Islamic parties have settled whose representatives are in the list of upper echelon of power in the country. Due to reorientation of Muslim organization’s heads from traditional Islam to vahabizm and other extremist streams, Uzbekistan authority had to use violence and press the aggressive streams outside of the country exacerbating the situation in whole Central Asia.
Many political opponents of present authorities in the region and their outer patrons by words of own satraps openly share with their plans to set up Muslim caliphate in Fergana. According to their plans, main rules come not from Islamic rules by the Koran but something unusual, more strict and uncontrolled by people. Recently, they began to pay more attention to Kyrgyzstan while in Uzbekistan the leaflets of religion started spreading a long time ago, constantly enveloping the southern Kyrgyzstan. According to data of law-enforcement bodies, the activity of religious organizations in Kyrgyzstan exacerbates year by year. For instance, 63 incidents of spreading 1 500 religious leaflets was registered and taken at previous year and 28 similar incidents for 3 months-1 600 leaflets in 2001.
Moreover, the activity of religious activists extended over the north of the country considered to be less influenced by the religion that now the covering the whole territory increases. This is the fault of locals who did not take any measures to control the activity of foreign religious missioners. They are mainly, representatives of foreign Muslim not traditional, but aggressive. The exacerbation the situation in the Central Asian region mainly caused by extension of new phenomenon as religious extremism. It perceives as nationalist ideas and separatism even political populism. The phenomenon is characterized aggressively active form of the activity calling the interest of ordinary people, even respect.
The existing socio-economic conditions of life in the region contribute the increase of sympathy to the power, which openly oppose against official state. Lately, the religious-political party “Hizbut-Tahrir” has been strongly influencing on mass showing its plans to change existing regime in the region and challenging to create the theocratic state of Muslims. The activity of this party officially is not prohibited, as it was not officially registered. However, its activity makes troubles for law-enforcement bodies. The members of party attempt to influence not only on Fergana but the southern Kyrgyzstan and Chui region, which really cause alarm of Kyrgyz society. The law-enforcement bodies in order to stop increasing flood of religious propaganda found only one clause in crime code of the KR to take measures for spreaders the ideas of aggressive religion. It is a punishment of “stimulation of national, race and religious discord”. According to official bodies, in the north of the country special literature and propaganda leaflets, audio-video cassettes with religious content were registered.
However, above-mentioned clause brings on disputes even protests among followers of Islam. Even the relatives of arrested activists of “Hizbut-Tahrir” held meeting of protest. In its turn, brute actions of militiamen reflect negative influence on people more than activity of religious party.
Many adherents of Islam can not distinguish the activity of party from real Muslim. “Hizbut-Tahrir” was set up in London in 1953 in the result of opposition between Arabians and Israeli and aims at changing the existing borders of Muslim countries and recreation Islamic caliphate. No doubt, the seriousness of their patrons’ and leaders’ intentions.
The repeated apply for Internal Affairs Ministry and National Security Service and State Committee on religion suggesting the inclusion changes and additions in crime code of the KR concerning to religion did not give any results. It would be sentenced for 3-5 years of prison in Kyrgyzstan while in Uzbekistan this crime sentences for 20 years. The inadequate taking measures on opposition essentially expand untraditional spread aggressive religion and possibility of activists. The Kyrgyz authority by virtue of present circumstances in the attempt of taking adequate measures in its protection and protection of temporal direction in the development of state compelled to take advantage of existing law. In this case, taken measures are necessary but today insufficient.
The National Security Service was informed on activities of all extremist groups whose activism exacerbated in the connection with military-political situation in the south of republic and in Fergana. According to data of National Security Service, the activity of Hizbut-Tahrir in the south of the country passed the second phase while in the north they just began. In 1999, it was instituted criminal proceedings against 51 men and 43 cases in 2000, 236 men were arrested. Mostly main part of youth are influenced due to money paid 2$ a day in the conditions of exacerbation socio-economic situation in the region that aspiration of youth to earn money in this way is quite right.
As shown, there are plenty of mosques in the region. If in Uzbekistan with 24 million people has 5 000 mosques, in Kazakhstan with 15 million people has 1 700 when Kyrgyzstan with 4,8 million people has 1 300 mosques, half of them are illegal. Only Osh oblast of Kyrgyzstan has 520 mosques where less million people live there, while in neighbor Andijan oblast of Uzbekistan with 2,7 million people has only 280 mosques. It shows that liberal conditions in Kyrgyzstan allowed preachers of strict Islam to spread their ideas in the territories where results of democracy are more accessible for realizing their aims. The invasion of religious activity would be stopped when society itself would help to oppose with the authority, including the Muslim priesthood of the country and religious authorities. The influence on believers of distant religious leaders who far from ruling regime as ex mufti of Kyrgyzstan Sadykjan Kamalov would be more negative than it should be. It means there is necessity of attracting such competent Muslim leaders among the believers to cooperate with authority. Otherwise, the present danger can be aggravated and would lead to unfavorable results.