Global News Post: Central Asia

Anumula Gitesh Sarma: Uzbekistan is an Important Partner of India in Central Asia

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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">TASHKENT</span><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 115%;"> (</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">UzA)--- On the eve of the 21st Anniversary of the State Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to the Republic of Uzbekistan Anumula Gitesh Sarma shared his opinions with UzA reporter Iroda Umarova, about the results of wide-scale reforms undertaken in Uzbekistan and bilateral relations established between our countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">First of all, I would like to congratulate the people and the Government of Uzbekistan on the 21st Anniversary of Uzbekistan’s Independence Day.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Uzbekistan is an important country in Central Asia. Independent Uzbekistan has witnessed significant advancement in the areas of economic growth, integration with the international community and enrichment of its social and cultural life. We in India view with admiration Uzbekistan’s many achievement. The process initiated in the direction of strengthening of democratic institutions is important.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Uzbekistan’s successes on the road to a more diversified economy are commendable. Despite global economic difficulties in the world last year Uzbekistan achieved an 8.5% GDP growth and this year too it is growing at almost the same pace.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is a matter of satisfaction that high-level contacts and regular exchanges have been maintained between our two countries. The visit of His Excellency President Karimov to India in May 2011 was a landmark one and has taken our friendship to an entirely new level where we are strategic partners. Since the visit, there has been an intensification of our bilateral ties.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are convinced that India and Uzbekistan need to consolidate and expand our multifaceted cooperation to cover new areas also. The close friendly relationship of mutually beneficial cooperation between Uzbekistan and India is based on the solid foundation of shared historical and cultural heritage and on the fact that our economies complement each other. There is emotional bonding at the people to people level. There is identity of views on issues of regional security and stability. Our two countries share such values as secularism, tolerance and commitment to international peace. Both our countries are resolutely opposed to forces of fundamentalism and terrorism. In the unfolding situation in our common region, India-Uzbek ties have a positive contribution to make.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In 2011 the bilateral trade turnover was about US $ 160 million. Bilateral trade is clearly much below the real potential and both sides are keen to address this. Efficient transit corridors need to be set up and we are happy that high importance is being given to this.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">India is ready to partner Uzbekistan in the Information Technology sector. Human resources are an important element of the information technology industry. The most important point here is that Uzbekistan has talented young specialists. India is ready to help Uzbekistan. The India-Uzbekistan Centre for Information Technology, named after Jawaharlal Nehru, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmokhan Singh during his visit to Uzbekistan in April 2006 in the Tashkent University of Information Technology. It is proposed to upgrade this centre this year. Further during the visit of Mr. Sachin Pilot, MOS for Communication and IT in October 2011 India agreed to cooperate with Uzbekistan in setting up a joint venture related to software development and production. Several important Indian private sector IT companies which are global players are looking to benefit from opportunities in Uzbekistan.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Lal Bahadur Shastri Centre for Indian Culture working under Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) was established in Tashkent in 1995 and has been a household name in Uzbekistan’s cultural circles for its activities. Besides organizing seminar events relating to Indian culture, the Centre also organizes regular classes for Kathak, Yoga and Hindi language.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; text-align: justify; unicode-bidi: embed;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tourism is another promising area and there is considerable interest in India to visit Tashkent, Samarkand and Bukhara in particular. Similarly, people in Uzbekistan have interest in Indian cities like Delhi, Agra, Jaipur and Mumbai due to their historical connections as well as due to Bollywood. Uzbek Air operates 15 flights a week between Uzbekistan and India and we hope that there will be a further expansion of flights connecting different cities in both the countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Anumula Gitesh Sarma: Uzbekistan is an Important Partner of India in Central Asia

TASHKENT ( UzA)--- On the eve of the 21st Anniversary of the State Independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Ambassador Extraordinary ...

Uzbekistan Blocks Its Wikipedia

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">© Photo wikipedia.org<o:p></o:p></span></div></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) --- Central Asia’s most populous nation of Uzbekistan has blocked access to Wikipedia in its language, regional media reported on Friday.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Users trying to access Wikipedia in Uzbek from Uzbekistan have been redirected to Msn.com for the past few weeks, CA-News.org said. The site is accessible from outside the country, and the blockade does not include Wikipedia in other languages.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">A spokesman for the country’s information and communication watchdog in Tashkent promised a comment when reached by telephone on Friday, but then stopped returning calls. Uzbekistan’s embassy in Moscow could not comment.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Uz.wikipedia.org had 7,876 articles as of Friday. Of the country’s 30-million population, almost 9 million are Internet users, according to the government’s statistics voiced in January.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">Uzbekistan briefly blocked the entire Wikipedia twice before, in 2007 and 2008. The country is notorious for its online censorship, which landed it on the list of “enemies of the Internet” by Reporters Without Borders in 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Uzbekistan Blocks Its Wikipedia

Kazakhstan reports more deaths after clashes in oil town

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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">ASTANA (RIA Novato) - Death toll form clashes in the <st1:country -region="-region" w:st="on">Kazakhstan</st1:country> oil town of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Zhanaozen</st1:city></st1:place> has reached 13, official spokesman for the country's Prosecutor General's Office Nurdaulet Suindikov said on Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Violent clashes broke out on the town's central square on Friday when a group of men attacked police officers as the country marked the 20th anniversary of its independence. Local media reports identified the attackers as employees of the state-controlled KazMunaiGas energy company.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Eyewitnesses claim police fired on unarmed protesters, a charge denied by the authorities.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">"According to latest data, 13 people perished in the unrest, 86 were injured," Suindikov said.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Earlier reports put the number of dead at 11.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background: white;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">President Nursultan Nazarbayev declared a 20-day state of emergency in Zhanaozen on Saturday and ordered an investigation into the worst violence in the former Soviet state in years.</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Kazakhstan reports more deaths after clashes in oil town

ASTANA (RIA Novato) - Death toll form clashes in the Kazakhstan oil town of Zhanaozen has reached 13, official spokesman for the coun...

Kazakhstan Declares State of Emergency after Deadly Protests

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</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has declared a state of emergency in the western town of <st1:city w:st="on">Zhanaozen</st1:city>, where <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kazakhstan</st1:place></st1:country-region>'s independence celebrations turned deadly.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Nazarbayev issued the presidential decree on Saturday after at least 10 people were killed in clashes between police and oil workers in the Caspian town on Friday. The state of emergency will last until January 5. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Oil workers in Zhanaozen, including some fired from their jobs, have been demanding better wages. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Officials said the clashes erupted after some of the protesters tore down traditional yurts, or tents, that had been put up in the towns's central square. But demonstrators told social media networks that they had been surrounded by police, who opened fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">The sound of what could be gunfire could be heard on video from the scene obtained by the Associated Press, but officials in the capital of Astana denied police fired their weapons.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Friday marked the 20th anniversary of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Kazakhstan</st1:country-region>'s independence, when it separated from what was then the <st1:place w:st="on">Soviet Union</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div style="line-height: 16.8pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;">Oil and resource-rich <st1:country-region w:st="on">Kazakhstan</st1:country-region> has been <st1:place w:st="on">Central  Asia</st1:place>'s largest and most successful economy. But the mainly Muslim nation of 17 million has seen an increase this year in small-scale bombings and shootouts, many blamed on Islamist extremists.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> ---</span> <span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">VOA News</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; mso-bidi-font-size: 9.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Kazakhstan Declares State of Emergency after Deadly Protests

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has declared a state of emergency in the western town of Zhanaozen , where Kazakhstan 's indepen...

Tablighi Jamaat Worries Kyrgyz Public, Officials Say

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<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Little-studied missionary movement not banned in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Kyrgyzstan</st1:country-region></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 8.0pt;">By Bakyt Ibraimov<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><st1:city w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">OSH</span></st1:city><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> – The activities of Davaatist missionaries in southern <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Kyrgyzstan</st1:country-region></st1:place> have raised the eyebrows of the general public and the government.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Yodgorbek, 23, a fifth-year university student from a family of Kyrgyz intellectuals, was surprised when strangers knocked on his door in October.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“I opened the door and was stunned to see two men in white robes and cheap Chinese slippers standing in front of me,” he said. “They greeted me and invited me to go along to the nearest mosque; I told them I would later.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">They came again twice, but he would not open the door fearing they would rebuke him for not going to the mosque to perform namaz prayers, he said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Believing in Allah is everyone’s private affair, but we must call on people to attend religious services because it’s everyone’s duty to resist the forces of religious extremism and terrorism,” Zhusupzhan Kadyrbekov, 33, a Davaatist from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Osh</st1:place></st1:city>, told Central Asia Online.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Together with his “brethren” from Tabligh Jamaat, he said, he preaches knowledge of true Islam among Muslims and those who still do not believe in Allah.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">No one has looked closely enough at Davaatist activities, said Timur Kozukulov, an instructor in the history of religion and law in the theology department of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Osh</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype>  <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“It’s still not clear what specifically they preach or what kind of knowledge they are conveying,” he said. “Scholars have held discussions and round-table debates to analyse different religious movements, among them Tabligh Jamaat, and their potentially negative effects on people’s conscience.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">It is important to understand to what extent Davaatism matches the Kyrgyz people’s mindset, Kozukulov said, adding that only after considering Davaatist traditions, habits and faith can one decide how acceptable their approach is to Kyrgyz Muslims.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Ideology from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The religious ideology that Davaatists disseminate comes from <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Kurbanaly Uzakov, southern spokesman for the State Commission on Religious Affairs, said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“The Tabligh Jamaat leadership has its headquarters in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>,” he said. “Those preachers’ activities in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Kyrgyzstan</st1:country-region> are not officially banned, so they operate fully legally here, while being considered an extremist organisation in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Kazakhstan</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Uzbekistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">According to several sources, the Tabligh Jamaat began in <st1:country-region w:st="on">India</st1:country-region> in the 1920s to preserve Islam in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and throughout the years has refused to affiliate itself with any political or juridical philosophy.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Full-scale monitoring of their preaching is impossible and no guarantee against their dissemination of religious extremism exists, Uzakov noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Nobody blocks Tabligh Jamaat in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kyrgyzstan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, so the number of followers of this foreign ideology has grown day by day to reach at least 10,000 in the south alone,” he said. “As a rule, poorer people ... trust the Davaatists.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The itinerant preachers can be irritating to those with less commitment to Islam, said Buzeinep Iskhakova, a teacher at High School No. 18 in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Osh</st1:place></st1:city>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Davaatists kept coming to our home to take along my husband, and then my son, to some sort of religious discussions and to the mosque to pray; now my own family members themselves are going around the neighbourhood and preaching,” she said.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Neighbours in her apartment building have complained about her husband making other men pray and read the Koran, she said, adding his activities already have ruined her relationships with quite a few neighbours.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Not a direct threat to <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kyrgyzstan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, some say<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Tabligh Jamaat poses no direct threat (to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Kyrgyzstan</st1:country-region></st1:place>), Kadyr Malikov, director of the Religion, Law and Politics Centre in Bishkek, told Central Asia Online.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“This religious movement is apolitical,” he said. “It doesn’t interfere in the country’s internal affairs, doesn’t call on Muslims to commit extremism or terrorism, and unlike Hizb-ut Tahrir ... it doesn’t attempt to establish its own version of an Islamic caliphate here.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">But not all of the Davaatists are sufficiently educated, and their religious ignorance and proselytising irritate some, while their non-Kyrgyz clothing strikes the public as odd, he noted.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">He did not support an outright ban, however.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">“Outlawing Tabligh Jamaat in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kyrgyzstan</st1:place></st1:country-region> as neighbouring countries have done may cause its followers to go underground, with some of them joining extremist movements,” he said.--- Central Asia Online<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Tablighi Jamaat Worries Kyrgyz Public, Officials Say

Little-studied missionary movement not banned in Kyrgyzstan By Bakyt Ibraimov OSH – The activities of Davaatist missionaries in souther...

Voters in Kyrgyzstan Cast Presidential Ballots

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Voters in the turbulent Central Asian nation of <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Kyrgyzstan</place></country-region> are going to the polls in the first presidential election since the deadly 2010 uprising that toppled former President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Pre-election polls showed moderate ex-Prime Minister Almazbek Atambayev, a wealthy businessman from the north, leading 15 other candidates in Sunday's multi-party election. His main challengers were the ousted president's former Emergency Minister Kamchibek Tashiyev and former Speaker of Parliament Adakhan Madumarov. Both candidates are from the south.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Just days ahead of the polls, analysts said it was unclear if Mr. Atambayev would secure the 50 percent of votes needed to win outright. A runoff vote is expected for mid-November.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Interim President Roza Otunbayeva, who has led the country since Bakiyev was ousted, is not running for office.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Voting Sunday was reported brisk in the capital, Bishkek.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><country-region w:st="on"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Kyrgyzstan</span></country-region><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"> hosts both <country-region w:st="on">U.S.</country-region> and Russian military bases and is a crucial hub for NATO operations in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Afghanistan</place></country-region>. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">On the campaign trail, the top three leading candidates have said they would respect the <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">U.S.</place></country-region> base lease, which expires in 2014. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Less controversial is a Russian base on the other side of Bishkek, a legacy of Soviet days.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Geography divides the mountainous ex-Soviet country between north and south, and ethnicity further splits the population of 5.5 million.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Last year, in Kyrgyz cities bordering <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Uzbekistan</place></country-region>, rioting broke out between ethnic Kyrgyz and ethnic Uzbeks. When the fight was over, about 500 people were dead, thousands were wounded and thousands of houses were in ruins.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Earlier this month, Mr. Atambayev traveled to <city w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Moscow</place></city> where he met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. He is the only candidate to win such an audience. Kremlin approval is key in a country where one-quarter of adult males work in <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Russia</place></country-region>. ---VOA News </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: justify;"><br />
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Voters in Kyrgyzstan Cast Presidential Ballots

Voters in the turbulent Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan are going to the polls in the first presidential election since the deadly 2010 ...

Ichan Kala - hearth of spirituality

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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ACReu9Cfrw3TyvZ9klTIDKITHd7vpynMLZRzZKUK_bK_qJnSY4CUg7PKj1_pgYekEnTP6h1tSneQf6V7Lzk-vD_K35gSdxHUdHHE-ZSGIwqZsLeN4QkFvzX1RUEOKbEV0QuzN-c7ogo/s1600/uzbekspirituality.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ACReu9Cfrw3TyvZ9klTIDKITHd7vpynMLZRzZKUK_bK_qJnSY4CUg7PKj1_pgYekEnTP6h1tSneQf6V7Lzk-vD_K35gSdxHUdHHE-ZSGIwqZsLeN4QkFvzX1RUEOKbEV0QuzN-c7ogo/s1600/uzbekspirituality.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">UzA (Shake Khudoyberganov)- As a result of creative work, carried out under the leadership of President Islam Karimov, Khiva also became one of the world’s tourist destinations. For the last period, many historical monuments, like the Ancient Ark, Tash Havli, and Mausoleum of Pahlavan Mahmud were restored. At present, the work in this direction continues sequentially.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Khiva, attracting tourists from all over the world, has over 100 architectural monuments. The State Museum-Reserve “Ichan Kala,” listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most prestigious museums in the world. Its appearance transformed as a result of the work in connection with the 2,500-year anniversary of Khiva and the 1,000th anniversary of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Khorezm</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Mamun</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Academy</st1:placetype></st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">According to Director of “Ichan Kala” Batyr Davlatov, a special attention is paid to the restoration of monuments of scientific and historical importance, the discovery of expositions and exhibitions to promote objective coverage of our rich history and restoration of existing exhibits, reprint historical books, further strengthening in the minds of our people the feelings of national pride and love for the motherland.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The museum works closely with public schools, academic lyceums, professional colleges, historical and architectural departments of <st1:placename w:st="on">Urgench</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">State</st1:placetype> <st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype>, Urgench branch of the Tashkent University of Information Technologies and the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Tashkent</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Medical</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Academy</st1:placetype></st1:place>. With participation of young people, it regularly hosts cultural and educational activities that enrich students’ knowledge of our history, great ancestors and rich cultural heritage, educating boys and girls learn to respect and honor our past and devotion to the ideas of independence.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">The open-air museum in the form of an open lesson holds classes on the subject of “History of Uzbekistan,” “Fundamentals of spirituality,” as well as lectures on the history of Khorezm on the theme of “Museum and School” and “Museum and Mahalla.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">Together with scientists of Khorezm Academy of Mamun and Japan’s Kyoto University as well as the specialists of the Fund “Forum of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan,” the museum staff conducts research to monitor the condition and preservation of historical and architectural monuments, the main purpose of which is a deep study of ancient archaeological sites, historical documents and their wide promotion.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS';">Museum concluded cooperation agreements with 32 travel agencies in the world. It also gives due attention to the provision of exemplary service to foreign guests. Information about the tourism potential of the city is regularly placed on the website of the museum. --- UzA</span></div><br />
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Ichan Kala - hearth of spirituality

UzA (Shake Khudoyberganov)- As a result of creative work, carried out under the leadership of President Islam Karimov, Khiva also became o...

One in Four Mosques Face Closure in Osh

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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheC0V7CJeMqSol31pUZrBAFsnzeb_6AHwRHe5_MkrbnnxkGtD4vLlOPMO1lIM1i84Ge_osKJ2qVbgyJZlEHZbSeqDNGum3lVDoOIjuryUvMSDTuyVzQlG5JPpfiuYUC4esahbcNhMzM00/s1600/ONE+IN+FOUR+MOSQUES+FACE+CLOSURE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheC0V7CJeMqSol31pUZrBAFsnzeb_6AHwRHe5_MkrbnnxkGtD4vLlOPMO1lIM1i84Ge_osKJ2qVbgyJZlEHZbSeqDNGum3lVDoOIjuryUvMSDTuyVzQlG5JPpfiuYUC4esahbcNhMzM00/s1600/ONE+IN+FOUR+MOSQUES+FACE+CLOSURE.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br />
</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";"><br />
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</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS";">NNN- A newly-built mosque stands tall, overlooking the city of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Osh</st1:place></st1:city> where there are close to 722 mosques. The main religious authority in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Kyrgyzstan</st1:place></st1:country-region> has given orders for the closure of 177 mosques for operating without state permission. <st1:city w:st="on">Osh</st1:city> - one of the oldest settlements in <st1:place w:st="on">Central Asia</st1:place> with deep Islamic roots - is the second largest in the country after Bishkek and is often referred to as the “capital of the south”. Officials with the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Osh</st1:place></st1:city> regional Muslim directorate say that the imams leading the unregistered mosques are not a threat and are appointees of local religious leaders. In July 2011, the government banned children's classes at local mosques and using mosques for residential purposes. Photo courtesy: rferl.org ---NNN<o:p></o:p></span></i></div></div>

One in Four Mosques Face Closure in Osh

NNN- A newly-built mosque stands tall, overlooking the city of Osh where there are close to 722 mosques. The main religious authority...

Tajikistan Bans Minors From Entering Mosques

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mosque-David-Macaulay/dp/054701547X?ie=UTF8&tag=widgetsamazon-20&link_code=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Mosque" height="320" src="http://ws.amazon.com/widgets/q?MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&Format=_SL160_&ASIN=054701547X&tag=widgetsamazon-20" width="232" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=widgetsamazon-20&l=bil&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=054701547X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important;" width="1" />Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon has approved a law barring minors from praying in mosques, as his secular government seeks to minimize the rising influence of Islam in the Central Asian nation.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mr. Rakhmon signed the so-called "parental responsibility" law Wednesday despite criticism from rights activists, religious leaders and the opposition party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">  </span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The law, which holds parents responsible for their children's actions, requires youths under the age of 18 to study in secular schools rather than mosques, churches or other religious schools.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Religious leaders and critics of the law say it will interfere with family life and deny those under 18 the right to worship in the Central Asian nation.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">(VOA News)<o:p></o:p></span></div></div>

Tajikistan Bans Minors From Entering Mosques

Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon has approved a law barring minors from praying in mosques, as his secular government seeks to mi...