Tashkent dismisses an imam for excessive rigor

The religious leader of the Taslak province had spoken out against those who leave the country to look for work abroad and the dances of young girls. The Uzbek state, according to the post-Soviet tradition, tries to prevent the fundamentalist tendencies of Islam, although more and more anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, anti-Western and offensive content against women is disseminated on social networks.

Tashkent () – The chief imam of the Taslak province, in the Fergana region of Uzbekistan, Shukrullo Egamberdiev, was dismissed by the country’s Administration for Muslims for excessive severity. Already known for provocative statements and anathemas against “too free” forms of social behavior, this time he seems to have gone too far even for those in charge of the Uzbek Muslim community.

The Administration’s statement states that “Egamberdiev has acknowledged that he made a mistake in his public statements, which caused great controversy, and apologized.

The imam-khatib has assured that he will not repeat that mistake in the future. We ask that you refrain from discrediting him, especially as a legal assessment will be applied to his actions and appropriate action will be taken.”

One of Egamberdiev’s expressions that provoked negative reactions on social networks was his criticism of migrant workers who go abroad to support their families. In the video he says that “they complain that they don’t have a job, but there are many who don’t leave and find work here in our country. You have to work with your head, make an effort and trust in Allah, putting aside arrogance. Here they don’t sweep the streets and they’re going to sweep them in Russia, here they don’t clean the stables, and they go to clean the pig droppings… if you don’t make an effort to study and work at home, you end up being a slave to foreign masters “.

His words even had a greater resonance against the young women who dance waltzes at end-of-year parties. “Look what happens at those evenings…does finishing school mean you can do whatever you want? Why are students allowed to go on vacation? They even start to waltz, and where are the teachers looking? What will become of a 17-year-old girl who starts dancing with a partner in front of everyone? Who will have the courage to marry her, after everyone has watched her on the Internet, knowing that she will not be faithful to her husband?

The commission called to evaluate these statements concluded that “they are not worthy of an imam.” Now he will have to look for work outside the mosques and is under constant supervision by the civil authorities. The Uzbek state, according to post-Soviet traditions, tries by all means to prevent the fundamentalist tendencies of Islam and other religions.

On the other hand, as the US department’s report on global freedom of conscience shows, Uzbekistan is not subtle when it comes to reining in excesses of religious activism. It is estimated that there are at least 1,800 prisoners accused of belonging to fundamentalist groups serving various sentences for extremism and terrorism. Although among them there are several who are actually activists for religious freedom.

Some are in jail because they refused to shave their beards, others have had their beards cut off directly by the police. 4 new religious associations have been registered, but another 16 were rejected. Many activists say that anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, anti-Western and anti-women content is being spread more and more on Uzbek social media, especially by Islamic bloggers.

The alternative seems to consist between fundamentalism and state secularism, both in ways that do not respect freedom of conscience and social relations.