On December 12, the IA Gazeta.uz reported: “The United States excluded Uzbekistan from the list of violators of religious freedoms. Now Uzbekistan is on the special watch list for governments that are participating or tolerantly refer to “serious violations of religious freedom”. In previous years, Uzbekistan was in the list of countries participating in “systematic, prolonged and serious violations of religious freedoms”.
As noted in a statement by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the decision was made on November 28, 2018. “I have determined that Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan are countries of particular concern in accordance with the US Law of 1998 on International Religious Freedom, as they participate in systematic, prolonged serious violations of religious freedoms,” the Secretary of State added.
In many places around the world, people continue to face threats, arrests or even death simply because they live in accordance with their faith, the Secretary of State says. “The United States will not be idly watching such oppression,” Pompeo said.
In the last years of I.Karimov’s rule, the West, which positions itself as a defender of religious freedoms of a person, claimed that I.Karimov conducts tough dictatorial methods of government and oppresses his people. Therefore, Uzbekistan was largely isolated from the countries of the West, being under various sanctions restrictions.
For example, in 2012, the US State Department made public an annual report on religious freedom, speaking about the situation in Uzbekistan, noted that the authorities accusing their people of “religious extremism” send them to prison, they are persecuting Muslims. Reports of beatings and bullying of prisoners serving sentences for religious beliefs, social discrimination based on religious affiliation have become the norm in the country.
The current president of Uzbekistan, Sh. Mirziyoyev, during the reign of I. Karimov, held various posts in the power echelon. Since 2003, he became a prime minister of the country, that is, was next to the dictator and participated in all his hidden and open crimes against his people and in particular against Islam and Muslims. Being the prime minister for 13 years, it is impossible to imagine that Sh. Mirziyoev was not aware of the crimes of I. Karimov or was against his policy. Not!!! And again – No!!! Sh. Mirziyoyev is one of the figures of the criminal regime of Uzbekistan, which has remained the same, but only the appearance and method of conducting the former dictatorship has changed.
Islam came to the territory of Central Asia in the first century of the Hijra. More than 90% of the population of Uzbekistan is Muslim. Immediately after the collapse of the communist regime in the face of the Soviet Union, the people, like a stormy stream of a mountain river, rushed to practice their religion – Islam. Thousands of mosques were built, madrasas and institutes were opened to study Islam. Repeatedly there were mass demonstrations demanding the establishment of Shariah rule in the country.
This became hateful to the regime of tyrant I. Karimov and since 1999, a tough policy of persecuting Islam and Muslims began in the country. Since then, tens of thousands of Muslims have been thrown into prisons of the dictatorial regime, just because Muslims say “My Lord is Allah!” And want to live according to the laws of their Creator, Lord of the Worlds of Allah. Tens of thousands were forced to leave home in search of refuge in other countries.
Under the rule of dictator I. Karimov, so-called “black lists” were created. These lists of the Muslims who were accused of being involved in “religious extremism” because they practiced Islam. In the summer of 2017, the President of the country Sh. Mirziyoyev himself spoke about the “black lists”. Speaking about the “black lists”, Sh. Mirziyoyev ordered to review them and ordered the imams to work with the families of the people on these lists so that they could dissuade these Muslims from their ideas. Sh. Mirziyoyev did not order the destruction of these lists, but continued the practice of persecuting Muslims, like his predecessor. At the beginning of 2018, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic, Pulat Bobozhonov, reported that already 18 thousand of citizens were excluded from the “black list”.
More than 35% of the country’s prisoners are Muslims convicted on charges of religious extremism, most of whom are connected with Hizb ut Tahrir. Only in the early 2000s, more than 4 thousand Hizb Shabab were arrested, most of whom are still in the prisons of the criminal regime of Taghut of Uzbekistan. Hundreds of Muslims became martyrs (shuhadaa) in the tyrant prisons. Women in hijabs were forbidden to come to school, to work, to trade in the markets. Young people were restricted from visiting mosques.
So the dictator I.Karimov pursued the Muslims of the country. Sh. Mirziyoyev is pursuing the same policy against the Muslims of the country. Muslim prisoners on religious extremism charges are not released. Moreover, their families are closely monitored. Muslim women are forbidden to go out in a dress prescribed by the Shariah for public life. Young people are forbidden to attend mosques, and students of schools and universities are excluded from educational institutions for attending Friday prayers.
If you examine the situation of the Muslims of Uzbekistan today, you will not see the difference between the rule of the tyrant I. Karimov and the dictatorship of the government of SH. Mirziyoyev today. The persecution of Muslims of Uzbekistan on a religious basis continues! Then why has the West changed its anger to the mercy regarding the dictatorship of Tagut of Uzbekistan!?
Firstly, those states that have established the laws on human rights and freedom of religion are criminals and tyrants themselves. These states are based on the ideas of secularism, where there is no place for religion in human relations. They do not care about the religion of a person. Human rights and religious freedoms to which they refer are just tools in their hands for asserting their power over other countries with a view to their further colonization and the plundering of natural wealth.
Secularism with its ideas of freedom of religion and human rights appeared in the West at the time of the fierce struggle of the power of kings and the church on the one hand against the people and thinkers on the other. In this struggle, religion in the face of Christianity suffered a defeat, and it was deprived of the opportunity to interfere in the relations between people. Since then, in the West, no religion could and cannot interfere in the relations between people. A person was allowed to keep faith within himself without interfering his faith in everyday life and relationships between people. A person was allowed to believe in anything, even if this belief does not have reasonable grounds, and with the condition that this belief will not affect the relationship between people in life. This is the basis of Western policy!
As for the religion of Islam, this religion has a reasonable basis and has a system for human life, society and the state. Islam prohibits building a relationship between a person and the God, with himself and the relationship between people in society and the state on the basis of the laws invented by a man. This naturally contradicts the basis of Western policies that oppose the supremacy of religion in life. And therefore, the West stands at the head of those fighting against any manifestation of religion in life, that is, the West is against the religion of Islam.
Secondly, with regard to the fact that today the USA have excluded Uzbekistan from the list of violators of religious freedoms, this is due to the loyal attitude of Sh. Mirziyoyev himself to US policy. I.Karimov tried to limit any manifestation of democratic institutions in the country, such as human rights organizations, independent institutions of journalism, foreign investments of private Western corporations, understanding that this is a tool of the West with which the USA tried to subordinate I.Karimov to themselves. And therefore, the West, in turn, under the slogan of “violations of religious freedoms,” put pressure on I.Karimov with sanctions and isolation.
Sh. Mirziyoyev, does not see a threat to himself in admitting democratic institutions in the country, and therefore allows the West to enter Uzbekistan under the guise of all sorts of democratic institutions. Therefore, Uzbekistan was excluded from the lists of “violators of religious freedom.” No matter how Sh. Mirziyoyev or the West, led by the United States, have declared religious rights and freedoms, the reality of the Muslims of Uzbekistan remains unchanged, as before, they are imprisoned, bullied, tortured and killed. Muslim women can not appear in public places wearing the hijab. Young people are forbidden to attend mosques, especially for Friday prayers.
The change in the situation to the positive side for the Muslims of Uzbekistan, like the Muslims of other countries, in China, Burma, Afghanistan or Europe, will be only when the second righteous state of the Khilafah (Caliphate) based on the divine revelation will revive. The Khilafah (Caliphate) based on the laws of the Creator of the Lord of the Worlds Himself, will naturally be fair to every person, all the more will not infringe the rights of its citizens on a religious basis, as it has already been in the past. Once, Christians lived freely in the Khilafah (Caliphate), and the Jews found refuge from their persecutors. So it was in the past. And by the will of Almighty Allah, it will be the same in the near future, as our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said about it:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«تَكُونُ النُّبُوَّةُ فِيكُمْ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكًا عَاضًّا فَيَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكًا جَبْرِيَّةً فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةً عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ ثُمَّ سَكَتَ»
“The Prophecy will last as long as Allah wishes. Then, when Allah wills, it will disappear. Then comes the period of the Caliphate, based on the method of prophecy. It will also last as long as Allah wishes. Then, when Allah wills, he will cease. Then comes the period of the evil monarchy, which will also last as long as Allah wishes. Then, when Allah wills, he will cease. Then there will come a period of despotic rule, which will last as long as Allah wishes. Then, when Allah wills, he will cease. Then the Caliphate period will come again, based on the method of the Prophecy. After he fell silent”. Imam Ahmad.
Eldar Khamzin
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir