On the Issue of Radicalization of Islam in Central Asia: The Cases of the IMU and the IRPT

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of the formation of radical Islamic movements in Central Asia in the post-Soviet period. The authors analyze the factors of radicalization of Islam in the Central Asian region in the late 20th — early 21st centuries using the examples of the Islamic movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) and the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), whose activities are currently prohibited by the leadership of the republics. One of the main reasons for the growing infl uence of radical Islamists is the extremely diffi cult socio-economic situation in Central Asia during this period. Despite the “Salafi trend” in the Islamic world, especially among radicals, the Wahhabi leadership of the IMU and the IRPT were unable fi nd support in the eyes of the majority of the population of the post-Soviet republics, and the status quo continues in the region. However, the dominance of Sufi s in the countries of Central Asia and the marginalization of leading Islamic groups does not mean that there are no prerequisites for the development of religious extremism — which could pose a threat to both the security of Russia itself and the allies of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

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