uzbekistan wikipedia

8/9/2019 Uzbekistan Wikipedia

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Uzbekistan

Ozbekiston Respublikasi

Ozbekiston Jumhuriyati

Republic of Uzbekistan

Motto: None (Former Soviet Motto: ' , !

Uzbek: "Workers of the world, unite!)

Anthem: National Anthem of the Republic ofUzbekistan

Capital

Tashkent

4116 N 6913 E

Largest city Tashkent

Official language(s) Uzbek

GovernmentPresidentPrime Minister

Single-party stateIslam KarimovShavkat Mirziyayev

Independence

DeclaredRecognized

Formation

From the Soviet UnionSeptember 1, 1991December 8, 1991

1747, as Bukharian EmirateArea

- Total- Water (%)

447,400 km (56th)4.9%

Population

- 2005 est.- Density

26,851,195 (42nd)60/km (111th)

GDP (PPP)- Total- Per capita

2004 estimate$45,758,000,000 (74th)$1,766 (154th)

HDI (2003) 0.694 (111th) medium

Currency Uzbekistani som (UZS)

Time zone

- Summer (DST)(UTC+5)(UTC+6)

Internet TLD .uz

Calling code +998
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The Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia. It sharesborders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to theeast, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south.

Contents

1 History 2 Politics 3 Human rights 4 Geography 5 Subdivisions

o 5.1 Enclaves and exclaves

6 Economy 7 Demographics 8 Communications 9 Transportation 10 Military 11 Foreign relations 12 Culture 13 Further reading

14 References

History

Main article:History of Uzbekistan

Territory of Uzbekistan was populated in the II millennium BC. There are findings ofearly humans tools and monuments in Ferghana, Tashkent, Bukhara, Khorezm(Khwarezm, Chorasmia), Samarkand regions.

The first civilizations to appear in Uzbekistan were Sogdiana, Bactria and Khwarezm(Chorasmia). Territories of these states became a part of the PersianAchaemenid empirein the 6th century, hence, becoming part of Persia for centuries. In fact, the Persianculture is preserved in Uzbekistan even today, as evident in many parts where Farsi(Persian) is spoken.

Alexander the Great conquered Sogdiana and Bactria in 327 BC, marrying Roxane,daughter of a local Sogdian chieftain. However, the conquest was supposedly of littlehelp to Alexander as popular resistance was fierce, causing Alexander's army to bebogged down in the region.

Its territory was overrun by Genghis Khan and his Mongol tribes in 1220.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landlocked#Doubly_landlocked_countrieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhstanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrgyzstanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkmenistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#History%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Politics%23Politicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Human_rights%23Human_rightshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Geography%23Geographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Subdivisions%23Subdivisionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Enclaves_and_exclaves%23Enclaves_and_exclaveshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Economy%23Economyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Demographics%23Demographicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Communications%23Communicationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Transportation%23Transportationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Military%23Militaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Foreign_relations%23Foreign_relationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Culture%23Culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Further_reading%23Further_readinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#References%23Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferghanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukharahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khorezmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarkandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sogdianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khwarezmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_dynastyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farsihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Greathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landlocked#Doubly_landlocked_countrieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhstanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrgyzstanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkmenistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#History%23Historyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Politics%23Politicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Human_rights%23Human_rightshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Geography%23Geographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Subdivisions%23Subdivisionshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Enclaves_and_exclaves%23Enclaves_and_exclaveshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Economy%23Economyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Demographics%23Demographicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Communications%23Communicationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Transportation%23Transportationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Military%23Militaryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Foreign_relations%23Foreign_relationshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Culture%23Culturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#Further_reading%23Further_readinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan#References%23Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferghanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukharahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khorezmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samarkandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sogdianahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactriahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khwarezmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achaemenid_dynastyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/6th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farsihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persianhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_the_Greathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genghis_Khanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol


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In the 1300s, Timur (1336 - 1405), known in the west as Tamerlane, overpowered theMongols and built an empire. In his military campaigns Tamerlane reached as far as theMiddle East. He defeated Ottoman EmperorBayezid I and rescued Europe from Turkishconquest. Tamerlane sought to build a capital of his empire in Samarkand (largely aTajik-populated city). The imagery of Tamerlane would be used later in history to

construct an Uzbek national identity.

In the 19th century, the Russian Empire began to expand, and spread into Central Asia.The "Great Game" period is generally regarded as running from approximately 1813 tothe Anglo-Russian Convention of1907. Following the Bolshevik Revolution of1917 asecond less intensive phase followed. At the start of the 19th century there were some2,000 miles separating British India and the outlying regions of the Tsarist Russia. Muchof the land in between was unmapped.

By the beginning of the 20th century, Central Asia was firmly in the hands of Russia anddespite some early resistance to Bolsheviks, Uzbekistan and the rest of Central Asia

became a part of the Soviet Union. On August 31, 1991, Uzbekistan reluctantly declaredindependence, marking September 1 as a national holiday. In subsequent ethnic tensions,two million Russians left the country for Russia. A number of laws were deliberatelydesigned to pressure and ultimately force the Russian population to leave Uzbekistan.The Russian Uzbeks have no legal status in Russia or any other country and thus arespread throughout the world particularly Europe and the U.S.

On May 13, 2005, protests broke out in Andijan over the imprisonment of 23 Muslimsaccused of being Islamist extremists. The protesters took thirty hostages. Soldiers startedto fire on the protesters, leaving many of them dead. The number of dead is greatlydisputed varying from 176 to 1,000 (see the Chronology sidebar for details).

On the same day in Tashkent, a man mistakenly believed to be a suicide bomberwas shotdead outside the Israeli Embassy.

The country now seeks to gradually lessen its dependence on agriculture - it is the world'ssecond-largest exporter ofcotton) while developing its mineral and petroleum reserves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Emperorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayezid_Ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Gamehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1813http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anglo-Russian_Convention&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1907http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1917http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Russiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshevikshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_31http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uzbekistan_May_thirteenth_Protests&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andijanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremistshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_bomberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottoman_Emperorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayezid_Ihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajikshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/19th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Gamehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1813http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anglo-Russian_Convention&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1907http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolutionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1917http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Russiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolshevikshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_31http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_13http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Uzbekistan_May_thirteenth_Protests&action=edithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andijanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extremistshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_bomberhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineralhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum


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Human rights

Main article:Human rights in Uzbekistan

The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan asserts that "democracy in the Republic

of Uzbekistan shall be based upon common human principles, according to which thehighest value shall be the human being, his life, freedom, honor, dignity and otherinalienable rights."

However, credible non-government human right watchdogs, such as IHF, Human RightsWatch,Amnesty International, as well as United States Department of State and Councilof the European Union define Uzbekistan as "an authoritarian state with limited civilrights" [1] and express profound concern about "wide-scale violation of virtually all basichuman rights" [2]. According to the reports, the most widespread violations are torture,arbitrary arrests, and various restrictions of freedoms: of religion, of speech and press, offree association and assembly [3]. The reports maintain that the violations are most often

committed against members of religious organizations, independent journalists, humanright activists, and political activists, including members of the banned opposition parties.In 2005, Uzbekistan was included into Freedom House's "The Worst of the Worst: TheWorld's Most Repressive Societies" list [4].

The official position is summarized in a memorandum "The measures taken by thegovernment of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field of providing and encouraginghuman rights" [5] and amounts to the following. The government does everything that isin its power to protect and to guarantee the human rights of Uzbek citizens. Uzbekistancontinuously improves its laws and institutions in order to create a more humane society.Over 300 laws regulating the rights and basic freedoms of the people have been passed

by the parliament. For instance, an office ofOmbudsman was established in 1996 [6] .On August 2, 2005, President Islam Karimov signed a decree that will abolish capitalpunishment in Uzbekistan on January 1, 2008.

The May 2005 unrest in Uzbekistan, which resulted in several hundred people beingkilled is viewed by many as a landmark event in the history of human rights abuse inUzbekistan [7],[8],[9]. A concern has been expressed and a request for an independentinvestigation of the events has been made by the United States, European Union, the UN,the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions andHuman Rights. The government of Uzbekistan is accused of unlawful termination ofhuman life, denying its citizens freedom of assembly and freedom of expression. Thegovernment vehemently rebuffs the accusations maintaining that it merely conducted ananti-terrorist operation, exercising only necessary force [10]. In addition, some Uzbekofficials claim that "an information war on Uzbekistan has been declared" and the humanrights violations in Andijon are invented by the enemies of Uzbekistan as a convenientpretext for intervention into country's internal affairs [11].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-governmental_organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Helsinki_Federation_for_Human_Rightshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Rights_Watchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Rights_Watchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_Internationalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_the_European_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_the_European_Unionhttp://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41717.htmhttp://www.ihf-hr.org/documents/doc_summary.php?sec_id=3&d_id=3860http://www.omct.org/pdf/omct_europe/2005/omct-las_uzb_report_04_05.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Househttp://www.freedomhouse.org/research/mrr2005.pdfhttp://www.uzbekistan.org/press/archive/283/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ombudsmanhttp://www.eurasianet.org/resource/uzbekistan/hypermail/200304/0029.shtmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2005_unrest_in_Uzbekistanhttp://usinfo.state.gov/eur/Archive/2005/Sep/26-966275.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/53b15c1e-995c-4339-819c-8090fbc94736.htmlhttp://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR620152005?open&of=ENG-UZBhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNhttp://www.press-service.uz/en/gsection.scm?groupId=5203&contentId=8868http://www.kreml.org/interview/100931204http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-governmental_organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Helsinki_Federation_for_Human_Rightshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Rights_Watchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Rights_Watchhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_Internationalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Statehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_the_European_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_the_European_Unionhttp://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2004/41717.htmhttp://www.ihf-hr.org/documents/doc_summary.php?sec_id=3&d_id=3860http://www.omct.org/pdf/omct_europe/2005/omct-las_uzb_report_04_05.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Househttp://www.freedomhouse.org/research/mrr2005.pdfhttp://www.uzbekistan.org/press/archive/283/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ombudsmanhttp://www.eurasianet.org/resource/uzbekistan/hypermail/200304/0029.shtmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2005_unrest_in_Uzbekistanhttp://usinfo.state.gov/eur/Archive/2005/Sep/26-966275.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/53b15c1e-995c-4339-819c-8090fbc94736.htmlhttp://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR620152005?open&of=ENG-UZBhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNhttp://www.press-service.uz/en/gsection.scm?groupId=5203&contentId=8868http://www.kreml.org/interview/100931204


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Geography

Main article: Geography of Uzbekistan

With an area of 447,000 square kilometers (approximately the size of Spain or

California), Uzbekistan stretches 1,425 kilometers from west to east and 930 kilometersfrom north to south. Bordering Turkmenistan to the southwest, Kazakhstan and the AralSea to the north, and Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan to the south and east, Uzbekistan is notonly one of the larger Central Asian states but also the only Central Asian state to borderall of the other four. Uzbekistan also shares a short border with Afghanistan to the south.

Uzbekistan is a dry, double-landlocked country of which 10% consists of intenselycultivated, irrigated river valleys. It is one of two double-landlocked countries in theworld - the other being Liechtenstein, although in the case of Uzbekistan this is less clear,since it has borders with two countries (Kazakhstan in the north and Turkmenistan in thesouth) bordering the landlocked but non-freshwater Caspian Sea from which ships can

reach the Sea of Azov and thus the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the oceans.

The highest point in Uzbekistan is Adelunga Toghi at 4301 meters.

Subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is divided into 12 provinces (viloyatlar, singular - viloyat, [viloyati] incompound, eg. Toshkent viloyati, Samarqand viloyati), 1 autonomous republic[respublika], respublikasi in compound, Qaraqalpaqstan Avtonom Respublikasi,

Karakalpakistan Autonomous Republic, and 1 independent city [shahar] or [shahri] incompounds, the Tashkent city, Toshkent shahri; Names are given below in the Uzbeklanguage, although numerous variations of the transliterations of each name exist.
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Division Capital City Area (sq. km) Population Key

Andijon Viloyati Andijon 4,200 1,899,000 2

Buxoro Viloyati Buxoro (Bukhara) 39,400 1,384,700 3

Farg'ona Viloyati Farg'ona (Fergana) 6,800 2,597,000 4

Jizzax Viloyati Jizzax 20,500 910,500 5

Xorazm Viloyati Urganch 6,300 1,200,000 13

Namangan Viloyati Namangan 7,900 1,862,000 6

Navoiy Viloyati Navoiy 110,800 767,500 7

Qashqadaryo Viloyati Qarshi 28,400 2,029,000 8

Qaraqalpaqstan RespublikasiNo'kis 160,000 1,200,000 14

Samarqand Viloyati Samarqand 16,400 2,322,000 9

Sirdaryo Viloyati Guliston 5,100 648,100 10

Surxondaryo Viloyati Termez 20,800 1,676,000 11

Toshkent Viloyati Toshkent (Tashkent) 15,300 4,450,000 12

The statistics for Toshkent Viloyati also include the statistics for Toshkent Shahri.
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Enclaves and exclaves

There are four Uzbek exclaves, all of them surrounded by Kyrgyz territory in the Ferganavalley region where Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan meet. Two of them are thetowns of Sokh (area 325 km and a population of 42,800 in 1993, although some

estimates go as high as 70,000; 99% are Tajiks, the remainder Uzbeks [12]) andShakhrimardan (also known as Shakirmardon, and Shah-i-Mardan, area 90 km and apopulation of 5,100 in 1993; 91% are Uzbeks, the remainder Kyrgyz); the other two arethe tiny territories of Chong-Kara (or Kalacha, roughly 3 km long by 1 km wide) andDzhangail (a dot of land barely 2 or 3 km across). Chong-Kara is on the Sokh river,between the Uzbek border and the Sokh exclave.

Uzbekistan has a Tajikistan enclave, the village of Sarvan, which includes a narrow, longstrip of land (about 15 km long by 1 km wide) alongside the road from Angren toKokand. Last but not least, there is a tiny Kyrgyzstan enclave, the village of Barak(population 627), between the towns of Margilan and Fergana.

Economy

Main article:Economy of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is a country with GNIper capita of US$460 and PPP equivalent of US$1860[13]. Economic production is concentrated in commodities: Uzbekistan is now theworld's fourth-largest producer and the world's second-largest exporter of cotton and theseventh world major producer of gold. It is also a regionally significant producer ofnatural gas, coal, copper, oil, silver, and uranium [14]. Agriculture contributes about 37%of GDP while employing 44% of the labor force [15]. Unemployment and

underemployment are estimated to be at least 20% [16].

Facing a multitude of economic challenges upon acquiring independence, the governmentadopted an evolutionary reform strategy, with emphasis on state control, reduction ofimport, and self-sufficiency in energy. Since 1994, state controlled media repeatedlyproclaimed success of this "Uzbek Economic Model" [17] as a unique example of smoothtransition to the market economy while avoiding shock, pauperization, and stagnation.The gradualist reform strategy has involved postponing significant macroeconomic andstructural reforms. The state in the hands of the bureaucracy has remained a dominantinfluence in the economy. Corruption permeated the society: Uzbekistan's 2005 Index ofperception of corruption is 137 out of 159. A February 2006 report on the country by the

International Crisis Group illustrates one aspect of this corruption:

Much of Uzbekistans GDP growth comes from favourable prices for certain keyexports, especially cotton, gold, and, increasingly, gas, but the revenues fromthese commodities are distributed among a very small circle of the ruling elite,with little or no benefit for the populace at large. [18],[19].
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According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, "the government is hostile to allowing thedevelopment of an independent private sector, over which it would have no control" [20].Thus, the national bourgeoisie in general, and the middle class in particular, aremarginalized economically, and, consequently, politically.

The economic policies have repelled foreign investment, which is the lowest per capita inthe CIS [21]. For years, the largest barrier to foreign companies entering the Uzbekmarket has been difficulty in currency conversion. In 2003, the government accepted theobligations of Article VIII under the International Monetary Fund[22], providing for fullcurrency convertibility. However, strict currency controls and tightening of borders havelessened its effects.

Inflation, though lower than in the mid-1990s, remained high up until 2003 (estimated50% in 2002, 21.9% in 2003, [23]). Tight economic policies in 2004 resulted in drasticreduction of inflation, to 3.8% (while alternative estimates [24] based on price of truemarket basket, put it at 15%). However, the relief appears to be transient, as IMF estimate

ofCPI-based inflation in Uzbekistan in 2005 is 14.1% [25].

The government of Uzbekistan restricts imports in many ways, including high importduties. Excise taxes are applied in a highly discriminatory manner to protect locallyproduced goods. Official tariffs are combined with unofficial, discriminatory chargesresulting in total charges amounting to as much as 100 to 150 percent of the actual valueof the product, making imported products virtually unaffordable [26]. Import substitutionis an officially declared policy and the government proudly reports [27] reduction in theconsumer goods import by a factor of two. A number of the CIS countries are officiallyexempt from Uzbekistan import duties.

Demographics

Main article:Demographics of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most populous country. Its 26 million people, concentratedin the south and east of the country, comprise nearly half the region's total population.Uzbekistan had been one of the poorest republics of the Soviet Union; much of itspopulation was engaged in cotton farming in small rural collective farms (kolkhozy). Inthe recent years, fraction of the rural population has continued to increase [28] nowreaching 63.5%. Population of Uzbekistan is very young: 34.1% of it are people youngerthan 14.

Uzbekistan is predominantly Uzbekin ethnic composition. According to the CIA WorldFactbook[29], Uzbeks comprise 80% of the total population. Other ethnic groups includeRussian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakhs 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, and Tatar 1.5%. However,some sources put the percentage of Tajik population of Uzbekistan at approximately 42%(11-14 million people) [30]. The nation is 88% Muslim (mostly Sunni) and 9% EasternOrthodox. Uzbek is the only official state language. However, Russian is the de factolanguage for interethnic communication, including much day-to-day technical, scientific,
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governmental and business use. According to Ethnologue, 49% of the population ofUzbekistan can speak Russian.

According to government figures about 817.000 disabled people were registered inUzbekistan in 2003. This figure only shows how many disabled people have been

registered according to Uzbek law. As many disabled people do not have the chance toget registered (due to knowledge about the legislation and difficulties to go through theregistration procedure) it can be assumed that many more people are disabled. The WorldHealth Organisation estimates that about 10% of each population have a disability.According to the WHO estimations the number of 2.5 million disabled people is morerealistic.

The name Uzbek, both for the people and for the nation itself, is said to be self-referentialfrom the period the Russians first encountered the people, parsing as ozum bek, or "I amthe lord (or ruler)".

Uzbekistan enjoys 99.3% literacy rate (among adults older than 15) which, in part, isatributable to the free and universal high-quality education system of the Soviet Union.

Communications

Main article: Communications in Uzbekistan

According to the official source report, by the end of 2004, there were 544.1 thousandusers of cellular phones in Uzbekistan (an increase of 168% since the beginning of theyear). An independent source, Ferghana.Ru, claims, however, that the users of cellularphones in Uzbekistan was only 450,000.

The number of Internet providers and operators by the end of 2004 was 477 (+181.4%).There were 675,000 Internet users in the country (+137%). 96.4% cities and 72.5%district centers have digital telecommunications systems.

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Uzbekistan

Tashkent, the nation's capital and largest city, has a 3 line subway built in 1977, andexpanded 2001 after independence from the Soviet Union.

This section is astub. You can help by adding to it.

Military

Main article: Military of Uzbekistan
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Uzbekistan possesses the largest and most competent military forces in the Central Asianregion, having around 650,000 people in uniform. Its structure is inherited from theSoviet armed forces, although it is moving rapidly toward a fully restructuredorganization, which will eventually be built around light and Special Forces. The UzbekArmed Forces' equipment is not modern, and training, while improving, is neither

uniform nor adequate for its new mission of territorial security. The government hasaccepted the arms control obligations of the former Soviet Union, acceded to the NuclearNon-Proliferation Treaty (as a non-nuclear state), and supported an active program by theU.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) in western Uzbekistan (Nukus andVozrozhdeniye Island). The Government of Uzbekistan spends about 3.7% of GDP onthe military but has received a growing infusion of Foreign Military Financing (FMF)and other security assistance funds since 1998. Uzbekistan approved the U.S. CentralCommand's request for access to a vital military air base, Karshi-Khanabad Airbase, insouthern Uzbekistan following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S. Afterthe Andijan riot and subsequent U.S. reaction, Uzbekistan demanded that the U.S.withdraw from the airbases. The last US troops left Uzbekistan in November 2005.

While the EU banned arms sales to Uzbekistan in 2005 accusing the government ofbearing responsibility for Andijan violence, Uzbekistan and Russia signed a mutualdefence pact. [31]

Foreign relations

Main article:Foreign relations of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan joined the Commonwealth of Independent States in December 1991.However, it is opposed to reintegration and withdrew from the CIS collective security

arrangement in 1999. Since that time, Uzbekistan has participated in the CISpeacekeeping force in Tajikistan and in UN-organized groups to help resolve the Tajikand Afghan conflicts, both of which it sees as posing threats to its own stability.

Previously close to Washington (which gave Uzbekistan half a billion dollars in aid in2004, about a quarter of it military), the government of Uzkekistan has restrictedAmerican military use of the airbase at Karshi-Khanabad which is used for air operationsin neighboring Afghanistan. See AP article

Uzbekistan was an active supporter of U.S. efforts against worldwide terrorism andjoined the coalitions that have dealt with both Afghanistan and Iraq. The relationship

between Uzbekistan and the United States began to deteriorate after the so-called "colorrevolutions" in Georgia and Ukraine (and to a lesser extent Kyrgystan). When the U.S. joined in a call for an independent international investigation of the bloody events atAndijon, the relationship took an additional nosedive and President Islam Karimovmoved more closely into the orbit of Russia and China, countries which refused tocriticize Uzbekistan's leaders for their behavior.
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In late July, 2005, the government of Uzbekistan ordered the United States to vacate anair base in Karshi-Kanabad (near the Uzbek border with Afghanistan) within 180 days.Karimov had offered use of the base to the U.S. shortly after9/11.

It is a member of the United Nations, the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council, Partnership

for Peace, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). It belongs to the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the EconomicCooperation Organization--comprised of the five Central Asian countries, Azerbaijan,Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. In 1999, Uzbekistan joined the GUAM alliance(Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova), which was formed in 1997 (making itGUUAM), but pulled out of the organization in 2005. Uzbekistan is also a member of theShanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and hosts the SCOs Regional Anti-TerroristStructure (RATS) in Tashkent. Uzbekistan also joined the new Central AsianCooperation Organization (CACO) in 2002. The CACO consists of Uzbekistan,Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. It is a founding member of and remainsinvolved in the Central Asian Union, formed with Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, joined in

March, 1998, by Tajikistan.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Uzbekistan

Music of Uzbekistan Kurash Islam in Uzbekistan Christianity in Uzbekistan Scout Association of Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan at the 2006 Winter Olympics

Further reading

The Art of Uzbek Cookingby Lynn Visson A Historical Atlas of Uzbekistan by Aisha Khan Lonely Planet Guide: Central Asia by Paul Clammer, Michael Kohn and Bradley

Mayhew The Modern Uzbeks From the 14th Century to the Present: A Cultural History by

Edward A. Allworth Nationalism in Uzbekistan: Soviet Republic's Road to Sovereignty by James

Critchlow Odyssey Guide: Uzbekistan by Calcum Macleod and Bradley Mayhew Uzbekistan: Heirs to the Silk Roadby Johannes Kalter and Margareta Pavaloi Uzbekistan and the United States: Authoritarianism, Islamism and Washington's

New Security Agenda by Shahram Akbarzadeh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_of_the_Islamic_Conferencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Cooperation_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Cooperation_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUAMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(country)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldovahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_Cooperation_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_Cooperation_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurashhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistanhttp://www.parus87.narod.ru/Fellowship.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_Association_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan_at_the_2006_Winter_Olympicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_of_the_Islamic_Conferencehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Cooperation_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Cooperation_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkeyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GUAMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_(country)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moldovahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Cooperation_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_Cooperation_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asian_Cooperation_Organizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurashhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistanhttp://www.parus87.narod.ru/Fellowship.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scout_Association_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan_at_the_2006_Winter_Olympics


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References

Anora Mahmudova, AlterNet,May 27, 2005, Uzbekistans Growing Police State(checked 2005-11-08)

Manfred Nowak, Radio Free Europe, 2005-06-23,UN Charges Uzbekistan With

Post-Andijon Torture, Gulnoza Saidazimova, Radio Free Europe, 2005-06-22, Uzbekistan: Tashkent

reveals findings on Andijon uprising as victims mourned BBC News, 'Harassed' BBC shuts Uzbek office, 2005-10-26 (checked 2005-11-

15) CIA - The World Factbook -- Uzbekistan Denial of Justice in Uzbekistan, report to OMCT The worst of the worst, the world's most repressive societies, 2005. The measures, taken by the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan in the field

of providing and encouraging human rights Uzbekistan' s Ombudsman reports on 2002 results

Jeffrey Thomas, US Government Info September 26, 2005Freedom of Assembly,Association Needed in Eurasia, U.S. Says, Robert McMahon, Radio Free Europe, 2005-06-07 Uzbekistan: Report Cites

Evidence Of Government 'Massacre' In Andijon Amnesty International, public statement "Uzbekistan: Independent international

investigation needed into Andizhan events" People's Voice, 2005-05-17 Andijan events: truth and lies Interview with Akmal Saidov, kreml.org, 2005-10-17Andijon events are used as

a pretext for putting an unprecedented pressure on Uzbekistan Worldbank per-country data on GNI and PPP per capita UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country Report on

Uzbekistan Islam Karimov's interview to Rossijskaya Gazeta, 1995-07-07Principles of Our

Reform 2005 Index of Economic Freedom, Uzbekistan US Department of State, Uzbekistan: 2005 Investment Climate Statement The Republic of Uzbekistan Accepts Article VIII Obligations US Department of State, 2005-07Background Note: Uzbekistan Asian Development Outlook for 2005, report on Uzbekistan IMF , 2005-09-24Republic of Uzbekistan and the IMF Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan report on International

Trade
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlterNethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://www.alternet.org/story/22097/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Nowakhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_23http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/b478ffa5-9143-4750-9680-9a523ef039c2.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/b478ffa5-9143-4750-9680-9a523ef039c2.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/b478ffa5-9143-4750-9680-9a523ef039c2.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_22http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/ef3297ac-38ed-4eab-a8d2-4dcb2418ca07.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/ef3297ac-38ed-4eab-a8d2-4dcb2418ca07.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Newshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/asia-pacific/4380166.stmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_15http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uz.htmlhttp://www.omct.org/pdf/omct_europe/2005/omct-las_uzb_report_04_05.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OMCT&action=edithttp://www.freedomhouse.org/research/mrr2005.pdfhttp://www.uzbekistan.org/press/archive/283/http://www.uzbekistan.org/press/archive/283/http://www.uzbekistan.org/press/archive/283/http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/uzbekistan/hypermail/200304/0029.shtmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://usinfo.state.gov/eur/Archive/2005/Sep/26-966275.htmlhttp://usinfo.state.gov/eur/Archive/2005/Sep/26-966275.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_7http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/53b15c1e-995c-4339-819c-8090fbc94736.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/53b15c1e-995c-4339-819c-8090fbc94736.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/53b15c1e-995c-4339-819c-8090fbc94736.htmlhttp://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR620152005?open&of=ENG-UZBhttp://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR620152005?open&of=ENG-UZBhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_17http://www.press-service.uz/en/gsection.scm?groupId=5203&contentId=8868http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_17http://www.kreml.org/interview/100931204http://www.kreml.org/interview/100931204http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GNIPC.pdfhttp://www.irinnews.org/profiles/uzbekistan.asp#infohttp://www.irinnews.org/profiles/uzbekistan.asp#infohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_7http://2004.press-service.uz/rus/knigi/9tom/3tom_12.htmhttp://2004.press-service.uz/rus/knigi/9tom/3tom_12.htmhttp://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/country.cfm?id=Uzbekistanhttp://www.state.gov/e/eb/ifd/2005/42196.htmhttp://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2003/pr03188.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2005-07&action=edithttp://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2924.htmhttp://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2924.htmhttp://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/ADO/2005/uzb.asphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_24http://www.imf.org/external/country/UZB/index.htmhttp://www.imf.org/external/country/UZB/index.htmhttp://www.mfa.uz/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=59&page=1http://www.mfa.uz/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=59&page=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AlterNethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_27http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://www.alternet.org/story/22097/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manfred_Nowakhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_23http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/b478ffa5-9143-4750-9680-9a523ef039c2.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/b478ffa5-9143-4750-9680-9a523ef039c2.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_22http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/ef3297ac-38ed-4eab-a8d2-4dcb2418ca07.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/ef3297ac-38ed-4eab-a8d2-4dcb2418ca07.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Newshttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/world/asia-pacific/4380166.stmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_15http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uz.htmlhttp://www.omct.org/pdf/omct_europe/2005/omct-las_uzb_report_04_05.pdfhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OMCT&action=edithttp://www.freedomhouse.org/research/mrr2005.pdfhttp://www.uzbekistan.org/press/archive/283/http://www.uzbekistan.org/press/archive/283/http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/uzbekistan/hypermail/200304/0029.shtmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_26http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://usinfo.state.gov/eur/Archive/2005/Sep/26-966275.htmlhttp://usinfo.state.gov/eur/Archive/2005/Sep/26-966275.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Free_Europehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_7http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/53b15c1e-995c-4339-819c-8090fbc94736.htmlhttp://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/06/53b15c1e-995c-4339-819c-8090fbc94736.htmlhttp://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR620152005?open&of=ENG-UZBhttp://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR620152005?open&of=ENG-UZBhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_17http://www.press-service.uz/en/gsection.scm?groupId=5203&contentId=8868http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_17http://www.kreml.org/interview/100931204http://www.kreml.org/interview/100931204http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DATASTATISTICS/Resources/GNIPC.pdfhttp://www.irinnews.org/profiles/uzbekistan.asp#infohttp://www.irinnews.org/profiles/uzbekistan.asp#infohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_7http://2004.press-service.uz/rus/knigi/9tom/3tom_12.htmhttp://2004.press-service.uz/rus/knigi/9tom/3tom_12.htmhttp://www.heritage.org/research/features/index/country.cfm?id=Uzbekistanhttp://www.state.gov/e/eb/ifd/2005/42196.htmhttp://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2003/pr03188.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2005-07&action=edithttp://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2924.htmhttp://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/ADO/2005/uzb.asphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_24http://www.imf.org/external/country/UZB/index.htmhttp://www.mfa.uz/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=59&page=1http://www.mfa.uz/modules.php?op=modload&name=Sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=59&page=1


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Islam in Uzbekistan

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Mosque in Samarkand

Islam is by far the dominant religious faith in Uzbekistan. In the early 1990s, many ofthe Russians remaining in the republic (about 8% of the population) were OrthodoxChristians. An estimated 93,000 Jews also were present. Despite its predominance, Islamis far from monolithic. Many versions of the faith have been practiced in Uzbekistan. Theconflict of Islamic tradition with various agendas of reform orsecularization throughoutthe 20th century has left the outside world with a confused notion of Islamic practices inCentral Asia. In Uzbekistan the end ofSovietpower did not bring an upsurge ofIslamicfundamentalism, as many had predicted, but rather a gradual reacquaintance with the

precepts of the faith. However after 2000, there seems to be a rise of support in favour ofthe Islamists.

Contents

1 Islam in the Soviet Era 2 Political Islam 3 Mainstream Islam

o 3.1 1990s

o 3.2 2000s

4 See also 5 External links

6 References

Islam in the Soviet Era
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#column-one%23column-onehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#searchInput%23searchInputhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religioushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Christianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Christianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_movementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_fundamentalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_fundamentalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#Islam_in_the_Soviet_Era%23Islam_in_the_Soviet_Erahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#Political_Islam%23Political_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#Mainstream_Islam%23Mainstream_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#1990s%231990shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#2000s%232000shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#See_also%23See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#External_links%23External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#References%23Referenceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Storks_samarkand.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Storks_samarkand.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#column-one%23column-onehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#searchInput%23searchInputhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religioushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Christianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Christianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_movementhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secularizationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_fundamentalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_fundamentalismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#Islam_in_the_Soviet_Era%23Islam_in_the_Soviet_Erahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#Political_Islam%23Political_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#Mainstream_Islam%23Mainstream_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#1990s%231990shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#2000s%232000shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#See_also%23See_alsohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#External_links%23External_linkshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Uzbekistan#References%23References


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Soviet authorities did not prohibit the practice of Islam as much as they sought to cooptand utilize religion to placate a population that often was unaware of the tenets of itsfaith. After its introduction in the 7th century, Islam in many ways formed the basis oflife in Uzbekistan. The Soviet government encouraged continuation of the role played byIslam in secular society. During the Soviet era, Uzbekistan had sixty-five registered

mosques and as many as 3,000 active mullahs and other Muslim clerics. For almost fortyyears, the Muslim Board of Central Asia, the official, Soviet-approved governing agencyof the Muslim faith in the region, was based in Tashkent. The grand mufti who headedthe board met with hundreds of foreign delegations each year in his official capacity, andthe board published a journal on Islamic issues, Muslims of the Soviet East.

However, the Muslims working or participating in any of these organizations werecarefully screened for political reliability. Furthermore, as the Uzbekistani governmentostensibly was promoting Islam with the one hand, it was working hard to eradicate itwith the other. The government sponsored official antireligious campaigns and severecrackdowns on any hint of an Islamic movement or network outside of the control of the

state.

Moscow's efforts to eradicate and coopt Islam not only sharpened differences betweenMuslims and others. They also greatly distorted the understanding of Islam amongUzbekistan's population and created competing Islamic ideologies among the CentralAsians themselves.

Political Islam

In light of the role that Islam has played throughout Uzbekistan's history, many observersexpected thatpolitical Islam would gain a strong hold after independence brought the end

of the Soviet Union's official atheism. The expectation was that an Islamic country longdenied freedom of religious practice would undergo a very rapid increase in theexpression of its dominant faith. President Islam Karimov has justified authoritariancontrols over the populations of his and other Central Asian countries by the threat ofupheavals and instability caused by growing Islamic political movements, and otherCentral Asian leaders also have cited this danger.

In the early 1990s, however, Uzbekistan did not witness a surge of political Islam asmuch as a search to recapture a history and culture with which few Uzbeks were familiar.To be sure, Uzbekistan is witnessing a vast increase in religious teaching and interest inIslam. Since 1991, hundreds of mosques and religious schools have been built or restoredand reopened. And some of the Islamic groups and parties that have emerged might giveleaders pause.

By far the largest Islamic opposition, and possibly the main opposition party inUzbekistan emerging after 2000 is Hizb ut-Tahrir[1]. This party wishes to unite theCentral Asian states, and later the greater Muslim world into an Islamic federal union, orCaliphate. President Karimov has severely repressed the opposition to his rule fromIslamists claiming they are all terrorists, even the moderates movements. Human rights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullahhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muftihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_Karimovhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hizb_ut-Tahrirhttp://www.rferl.org/specials/religion/archive/central-asia3.asphttp://www.rferl.org/specials/religion/archive/central-asia3.asphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliphatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7th_centuryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mullahhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tashkenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muftihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_Islamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Unionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_Karimovhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1991http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hizb_ut-Tahrirhttp://www.rferl.org/specials/religion/archive/central-asia3.asphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliphatehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamist


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groups have been unanimous in their condemnation of the government's repression ofIslamic movements.

Mainstream Islam

1990s

For the most part, however, in the first years of independence Uzbekistan is seeing aresurgence of a more secular Islam, and even that movement is in its very early stages.According to a public opinion survey conducted in 1994, interest in Islam is growingrapidly, but personal understanding of Islam by Uzbeks remains limited or distorted. Forexample, about half ofethnic Uzbekrespondents professed belief in Islam when asked toidentify their religious faith. Among that number, however, knowledge or practice of themain precepts of Islam was weak. Despite a reported spread of Islam among Uzbekistan'syounger population, the survey suggested that Islamic belief is still weakest among theyounger generations. Few respondents showed interest in a form of Islam that would

participate actively in political issues. Thus, the first years of post-Soviet religiousfreedom seem to have fostered a form of Islam related to the Uzbek population more intraditional and cultural terms than in religious ones, weakening Karimov's claims that agrowing widespread fundamentalism poses a threat to Uzbekistan's survival.

2000s

Experts assume that Islam itself was probably not the root cause of growing unrest asmuch as a vehicle for expressing other grievances that are more immediate causes ofdissension and despair. The people view political Islam as a solution to these problems.The Uzbek rulers strongly deny that. They blame the May 2005 unrest in Uzbekistan on

an aim to overthrow the government of Uzbekistan in order to make it a Central Asiantheocratic republic. Two Islamists groups in the nation that have advocated arevolutionary overthrow of the rulers are Akramiya and the Islamic Movement ofUzbekistan. Hizb ut-Tahrir have denied involvement in the unrest, but expressedsympathy and solidarity with the victims of the unrest, firmly laying blame on therepressive practices and corruption of the government.

See also

Islam by country Demographics of Uzbekistan

Hizb_ut-Tahrir

External links

'Muslim Uzbekistan' opposition website Hizb ut-Tahrir From Baghdad to Bishkek, the Caliphate's time has come, BySimon Jones in Tashkent
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2005_unrest_in_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akramiyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Movement_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Movement_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hizb_ut-Tahrirhttp://www.muslimuzbekistan.com/http://www.hizb.org.uk/http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_19466.shtmlhttp://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_19466.shtmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_2005_unrest_in_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akramiyahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Movement_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Movement_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_countryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Uzbekistanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hizb_ut-Tahrirhttp://www.muslimuzbekistan.com/http://www.hizb.org.uk/http://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_19466.shtmlhttp://www.axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/article_19466.shtml


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[edit]

References

This article contains material from the Library of Congress

Country Studies which, as a US government publication, is in thepublic domain.
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Islam_in_Uzbekistan&action=edit&section=8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress_Country_Studieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress_Country_Studieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domainhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Islam_in_Uzbekistan&action=edit&section=8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress_Country_Studieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress_Country_Studieshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain


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Uzbekistan, history, Uzbekistan history, Uzbekistan andchurch, church, churches, Christian, Christian churches,Baptist, Baptist church, Uzbekistan Baptists, summercamp, summer camps, summer camp for kids, holiday

camp, Uzbekistan Baptist union, Bible Society, UzbekistanBible Society, Tashkent, central Asia.

O'zbekiston Bibliya Jamiyati

Bible Society of UzbekistanThe Christian Children's Camp

of The Baptist Union

Early Asian Christianity.The story of Christianity in the West has often been told, but thehistory of Christianity in the East is not as well known. The seed wasthe same: the good news of Jesus Christ for the whole world, whichChristians call "the gospel." But it was sown by different sowers; it wasplanted in different soil; it grew with a different flavor; and it wasgathered by different reapers.

But it is generally known that the Church began in Asia. Its earliesthistory, its first centers were Asian. Asia produced the first knownchurch building, the first New Testament translation, perhaps the first

Christian king, the first Christian poets, and even arguably the firstChristian state. Asian Christian endured the greatest persecutions.They mounted global ventures in missionary expansion the Westcould not match until after the thirteenth century. By the Nestorianchurch (as most of the early Asian Christian communities came to becalled) exercised ecclesiastical authority over more of the earth thaneither Rome or Constantinople.

One reason, of course, for the neglect of the Asian dimension inchurch history is the comparative paucity of available source materialson the Eastern roots of Christianity outside the Roman Empire. The

surviving documents are too slender a base to support some of thebold and contradictory statements made about these earliestChristians of the East.

One historian, for example, calls the Nestorian the greatestmissionaries the world has ever seen. Another dismisses them as"passionless" Christians embarrassingly obsequious to the politicallypowerful. The same kinds of contradictions persist in theological
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arguments about early Asian Christianity. To some Nestorians areheretics, condemned by the ecumenical councils. To others they areancient and apostolic Asian Christians untainted by the perversions ofWestern Greek philosophy. And, of course, many have forgotten theNestorians altogether.

Nestorian Church.Nestorian Church, a communion of Eastern Christians, who follow theteachings of Nestorius, archbishop of Constantinople, condemned asa heretic by the Council of Ephesus in 431. Most Nestorians,numbering about 176,700, live in Iraq, Syria, and Iran, where they aregenerally known as Assyrians. Headed by a patriarch, at presentresiding in Iraq, they reject the doctrine, defined at Ephesus, thataffirms that Jesus Christ is one single divine hypostasis (person), andthat consequently his mother, Mary, should be called "Mother of God."Nestorian doctrine, following the teachings of the great exegete

Theodore of Mopsuestia, insists on the distinctiveness of divinity andhumanity in Jesus, which leads its critics to accuse Nestorians ofbelieving that Christ was two distinct persons-the Son of God and theson of Mary.The Nestorians crystallized into a separate religious body when alarge group of them immigrated (489) to Persia to escape persecutionwithin the Roman Empire. The intellectual center of the PersianNestorians was the school they established at Nisibis, Persia, andunder the leadership of the Catholicos of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, theyalso established bishoprics in Arabia and India. Occasionallypersecuted by Persian Zoroastrians, they were granted legal

protection by Muslims after the Arab conquest (637) of Persia.Between the 7th and the 14th centuries Nestorian communities wereestablished, through an extraordinary missionary effort, in CentralAsia, Mongolia, and China. They were later absorbed by Islam.

Asian Christianity.The term "Asian Christianity" is open to more than one interpretation.For more clear understanding it is better to use it culturally, not strictlygeographically. Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Antioch and Armenia are allgeographically in Asia, but politically and to a considerable extentculturally they belonged sooner or later to the West, that is, to theRoman Empire until the Muslim conquest. "Asian Christianity" refers tothe churches that grew and spread outside the Roman Empire inancient oriental kingdoms east of the Euphrates and stretching alongthe Old Silk Road from Osrhoene through Persia to China or along thewater routes from the Red Sea around Arabia to India.

Before the end of the first century the Christian faith broke out acrossthe border of Rome into "Asian" Asia. Its first roots may have been as


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far away as India or as near as Edessa in the tiny semi-independentprincipality of Osrhoene just across the Euphrates. From Edessa,according to tradition, the faith spread to another small kingdom threehundred miles farther east across the Tiger River, the kingdom ofAdiabene, with its capital at Arbela, near ancient Nineveh. By the end

of second century, missionary expansion had carried the church as fareast as Bactria in what is now northern Afganistan, and massconversions of Huns and Turks in central Asia were reported from thefifth century onward.

In Bukhoro region (formerly a vast Persian area in Central Asia) beforeit was captured (early 8th century) by the Arabs, the process of townformation was very active, ancient settlements surrounding Bukhorohave developed into the towns of Varakhsha, Vardanzi, Ramish(Ramitan), Kermine, Paikend. All these towns had more or less asimilar structural pattern: the arks (citadel), the shakhristan - well-

planned residential core, necropolis beyond the town limits and thechurch building. Bukhoro itself also followed this pattern ofdevelopment. The rectangular of Bukhoro shakhristan was cut intofour sections by two crossing main streets which led to gates openingout on four sides of the world. The Christian temple stood at theeastern gate of Bukhara.

By the end of the seventh century Persian missionaries had reachedthe "end of the world", the capital of T'ang-dinasty China.

But by then a cloud from the desert, Islam, was about to bring this first

period of Asian church history crashing to a close. It was not the end,however. Out of Asia after another six hundred years, came anothercloud, a storm of Mongol nomads racing west, destroying all beforethem and threatening the very center of medieval Christianity inEurope.

The Christianity return into Central Asia.The term Central Asia is sometimes used to denote the inclusion ofadjacent portions of China, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Iran, and theHimalayan lands. But, arguably , more commonly Central Asia adesignation for a region of western Central Asia extending from theCaspian Sea on the west to China on the east; the southern boundaryis formed by Iran and Afghanistan. The northern boundary is lessclearly defined. One interpretation placed it at the southern border ofthe Kazakhstan, while another placed it at the northern border of theKazakh Republik. Still other interpretations placed the boundarysomewhere between the two extremes. Administratively, during theSoviet period, the region comprised the following SSR's: Tadzhik (alsospelled Tajik), Turkmen, Uzbek, and Kirghiz (also spelled Kyrgyz), and


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portions of the Kazakh SSR, the size of which depended on theplacement of the northern boundary. Russian domination of the areadates from the second half of the 19th century, before which much ofthe territory was ruled by the khanates of Bukhoro, Khiva, andKokand.

The Christianity has come back to this region in form of RussianOrthodox Church simultaneously with Russian domination. Theinfluence of this church as a rule did not overstep the limits of Russiancolonial community. But by the end of the eighteenth century othermovements already existed in the religious life of Russia. Thosemovements were able to play more important role in Christianitydissemination.

Molokans, Baptist, Mennonites in Central Asia and Uzbekistan.The Molokans were followers of Russian national form of

Protestantism. They have rejected the formalities of Russian OrthodoxChurch, but they did not have a clear Evangelical doctrine. Thereforewhen the Baptist movement had gained ground in Russia, mostMolokans became Baptists. By 20th century the most of BaptistChurches in Russian empire half consisted of former Molokans. Manycolonists who have migrated to Central Asia were Molokans orBaptists. The Molokans were skilled farmers. In nineteenth centurytheir settlements existed all over the Central Asia right up to the borderwith Iran in actual Turkmenistan at the present time. Besides newopportunities the resettlers were looking for more freedom in religiouslife.

The third component of the Evangelical Christianity in Central Asiabecame the Mennonites. They were German resettlers, who lefthomeland and then also their settlements in Russia for Mennoniteswished to escape military service both in Germany and in Russianarmy.

The first Uzbekistan Baptist congregations.The first Baptist congregations in Uzbekistan have been started at theclose of the nineteenth century at small towns near to Tashkent(Gazalkent, Karabog, Iskander) where the population were mostlyconsisted of the colonists from Russia. The extant Gazalkent Baptistcongregation is oldest in Uzbekistan. The oldest Tashkent Baptistcongregation has been started in 1905 from the group of the military.To our time, this congregation is the largest in Uzbekistan (about 600members).

Uzbekistan Baptist, Evangelical Christianity under the soviet regime.The soviet regime harassed the Baptist (as well as other Evangelical


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Christianity denominations) sore and showed them little mercy. Since1932 till 1944 the Baptist churches activity was possible only in form ofsecrecy. Even being officially allowed Evangelical Christianity wasalways persecuted by soviet authorities.

Baptist Union in Uzbekistan.The Baptist Union had been set up in Uzbekistan in 1925. Today theBaptist Union in Uzbekistan unifies near 30 congregations throughoutthe country that consist of near 1800 believers.

The cited sources:Samuel Maffett, A History of Christianity in Asia.L. Mankovskaya, Bukhara. From the history of the city.Rev. John Meyendorff, Nestorian Church.