Two wars are being waged. Who is to win the battle?
International experts are concerned about the national security of Kyrgyzstan in the light of recent attacks of Islamic fundamentalists in the south of the country. David Hansiker, representing USAID’s committee on religion in Kyrgyzstan in his interview to 24kg. recently pointed out at the hidden danger of the growing influence of religious extremists who are claiming their adherence to pure Islam.
Activities of the Hizb ut Tahrir movement are of a major concern on the ground nowadays. The situation got especially tense after the recent accident in the south of the country in Djalal Abad where a group of extremists attacked several policemen, leaving one killed and 3 more seriously injured.
In general, since the beginning of the summer extremist’s attempts to take over the country became more visible. More and more supporters of the ideas of religious extremism are being detained and charged with illegal possession of the prohibited literature and guns. Law enforcement bodies kept alerting on the growing number of the alleged supporters of the ideas of Islamic fundamentalism. According to the information of 24 kg., even in previously neutral and more or less calm Issyk Kul district of the country population would start expressing their sympathies towards the ideas of fundamental Islam. Officially in that area the number of members of “Hizb but Tahrir” party (which activities are strictly prohibited in Kyrgyzstan) accounts to 145 people.
It should be emphasized that the statistics is far from comforting. According to Nariyman Abulhasan- professor of the Tashkent Islamic University- there are as many as 5000 members of Hizb-ut-Tahrir residing in Kyrgyzstan at the moment.
According to Interfax news agency the problem here is that Central Asian countries employ completely different approaches in terms of dealing with problems of Islamic fundamentalism. Certain weaknesses of Kyrgyz authorities contributed tremendously to the fact that nowadays Kyrgyzstan has become the most comfortable place for those supporting fundamental Islamic ideas including the creation of Khalifat (the pure Islamic state in Fergana Valley).
Now there is a feeling that Kyrgyz authorities of late realized the scope of the danger. It took time and new incidents on the border with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan for the government of Kyrgyzstan to get alerted on that. Just several hours ago 24.kg featured information that was qualified as a sensational one. The agency announced that according to their sources “Hizb-ut-Tahrir” waged an “official” war against all law enforcement bodies in the country, officials in Kyrgyzstan reciprocated with announcing gazavat ( war till the last soldier) to the representatives of the prohibited party.( read more details in the Russian version)
Here we should note that the terminology itself in this case is troubling. It’s as if mafia clans were solving problems on their own with law and order of the official state prevailing somewhere else. Interacting on the level of waging wars and openly admitting that can only contribute to creating the image of weak and inefficient official power that is supposed to deal with the “enemies” of the state on the routine basis. On the contrary, Kyrgyz authorities getting alarmed and armed all of a sudden create some real panic in the society. Some citizens already started alternatively equipping themselves with guns probably not being very optimistic about this firm and solid decision of official power representatives to take over radical Islamists.
on July 22nd, 2006 at 7:06 pm
Here also/cross-posted: do you really believe that the Hizb ut Tahrir is so big of a threat?
I know that many ethnic Russians and other «Bishkekers» believe it is. Some even told me that they are convinced that, I quote, «more than half the adult population of the south are sleeper ??????????» and that Batken, Osh and Jalalabad are already de facto already taken over by the Hizb ut Tahrir. In my opinion, and having lived and worked in Osh and Batken for quite some time, this tells more about a deep distrust and fear of «the civilised people from the city» against «the hillbillies from the kyshlak» than about the Hizb-ut-Tahrir.
I do not deny that the Hizb, or structures associating themselves with it, exists in Kyrgyzstan and elsewhere. It probably has a couple of thousands of members and sympathizers. Some splinter groups may turn violent. The question is, how much capacity and how much of an impact they have or will have.
Besides, that part of the people (and growing in number) in Kyr and elsewhere find direction and a new dignity in Islam rather than in vodka, prostitution and casinos is not ‘extremism’, ‘Hizb ut Tahrir’ or ‘Wahhabism’. And if practising Muslims are being constantly aggressed, harassed and humiliated by thuggish cops and nachalniki then they have, like anyone else in such a situation, the right to defend themselves without being ‘terrorist’, ‘extremist’ and what all. But some just don’t want to understand that.
One can of course reply: «yes, but look what happened in Batken and Jalalabad the other day» (see http://www.iwpr.net/?p=rca&s=f&o=322279&apc_state=henprca ).
I have to things to say one that:
1) First, blaming «hizbutovsti» for every violent incident and planting Hizb evidence is a mothballed manipulation technique. It has happened before: e.g. the bombings in a Bishkek bazaar and an exchange office in Osh a couple of years ago that were immediately ‘linked’ to the Hizb ut Tahrir and Uighur radicals to eventually turn out to be ordinary mafia score settling.
The reality is, that some *want* the Hizb ut Tahrir and other Islamist groups to be a threat: certain rogue regimes – that in Tashkent in particular – because cultivating paranoia is their only raison d’être and a way to get legitimacy, foreign loans and military aid; the Russian and local neo-KGB to enforce their position; and the Russian and local boulevard press.
2) Second, let us assume that the recent havoc in Batken and Jalalabad was indeed the work of Hizb cells. Let’s ask ourselves then what kind of Islamist militants need to do a messy attack against a remote customs and border post in Batken in order to get a couple of AK-47s?! Certainly not members the allegedly well-organised, regionally widespread and narco-funded terror network that some (see 1.) claim they are.
“It should be emphasized that the statistics is far from comforting. According to Nariyman Abulhasan- professor of the Tashkent Islamic University”
If Naryman Albulhasan is still professor at the Tashkent Islamic University it means that he is regime-appointed and expected to parrot regime speech.