Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| US Terror a pretext for Central Asian rulers to Suppress Opposition |
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| NewJehad |
| 12/05/01 at 10:32:57 |
| US Terror a pretext for Central Asian rulers to Suppress Opposition Central Asian states are using their cooperation with the US in its campaign to combat terrorism as an excuse for reigning in the religious and other opposition in their own countries, with the human rights issue taking a back seat, according to an article in Kyrgyzstan's Res Publica newspaper. The article also says that there is increasing dissatisfaction amongst the people of Central Asia with America's Afghan campaign. The following are excerpts from the article published on 27 November 2001. Subheadings inserted editorially: At the international conference Central Asia after 11 September, held in Tashkent this week, political observers, experts and journalists discussed the problems of political, social and economic developments in the countries of the region. One constant theme was the notion that the governments of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were using the "American tragedy" to start a new type of foreign and domestic policy. The problem of human rights, of the religious and political opposition, was one of the main topics of discussion. It also became clear that the coalition's operation to combat terrorism has produced a definite dividing line between the authorities of the three republics and the people in terms of the attitude to the bombing. "It has to be said that the political regimes of the Central Asian states have been somewhat lucky with this antiterrorist operation. An authoritarian backlash has been apparent everywhere recently and indirect participation in the operation under US auspices suggests that the US itself will no longer be raising the issue of democracy and human rights in these countries. This opens new opportunities, both for strengthening the existing political regimes and security forces and in the battle against the opposition," says Konstantin Syroyezhkin, a political observer from Kazakhstan. Along with human rights, there is also a number of other problems that are increasingly an issue for Central Asian states, he says: first and foremost, the increasing dissatisfaction on the part of Muslims, the religious opposition and spiritual leaders over the actions of the authorities of the three republics. Moreover, people are no longer so quick to accept what the Americans are doing and are expressing their increasing dissatisfaction with the acts of "justice" that are dragging on, and this in turn is creating great problems for the authorities of the republic. Antiterrorist action is anti-Islamic in essence No matter how much the antiterrorist opposition tries to convince people that its operation is not anti-Islamic, it is hard to believe this. And it is not only Arab countries that disagree with America's actions in Afghanistan. The same tendency can be seen in Central Asia, too, the majority of whose people are Muslims. The leaders of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan have supported the allies' actions, but ordinary people are becoming increasingly unhappy about the continuing bombing of their Muslim brothers. But the main issue is that Central Asian states where Islam is strong and where the opposition speaks out, including with Islamic slogans, are falling into the "Islamic trap", as Syroyezhkin so aptly puts it. By supporting the US in its revenge operation, they not only create problems with the Taleban movement but pave the way for more action by the Islamic opposition. But, on the other hand, the issue of human rights, now taking a back seat in the light of the anti-Islamic operation [as given], means the religious opposition and its supporters can be sorted out once and for all, and with the backing of the most democratic country in the world. It is no secret that many of them end up in prison simply because they are members of these organizations. Under the pretext of fighting religious extremism, you can sort out "people who are in the way" by calling them members of gangs. The Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Hezb-e Tahrir, and the like are coming under the keen eye of the security services. In Kyrgyzstan, the broad antiterrorist operation has allowed the National Security Council to promote its positive image among the masses. The Kyrgyz political observer Igor Grebenshchikov says the global fight against terrorism has become a successful PR coup for the National Security Council, whose heads have made pragmatic use of the situation to intensify their activities against the Hezb-e Tahrir religious party... Moreover, many analysts forecast that the defeat of political Islam in Afghanistan, personified by the Taleban, will help unite extremists across the whole world, including in Kyrgyzstan. Hezb-e Tahrir has already made various statements, the essence of which is to call on "true Muslims" to boycott the authorities and carry out an act of civil disobedience... But the president's words are out of step with the what the power structures are doing. Unfortunately, the Kyrgyz special services and internal troops do not have the intellectual power to solve the problem of Hezb-e Tahrir. Arrests and trials continue to be the only weapon in the battle against the spreading religious tendency [Akayev persuaded the OSCE that he is handling the fight against terrorism appropriately]. US cooperation with Uzbekistan Political and military cooperation between Uzbekistan and the US is a different issue altogether from that of Kyrgyzstan's and Tajikistan's cooperation with the coalition. The latter two are only playing an indirect role, but Uzbekistan is directly tied up with the Afghan events, having accepted a US military presence and offered a military aerodrome. Many analysts and researchers say the decision by official Tashkent, which does not particularly consult the people, has allowed it to kill two birds with one stone: first - the country has been trying for a decade to free itself from Russia's military influence, and has finally realized its dream, taking in the Americans "right under Moscow's nose". Secondly, for obvious reasons, the US is not going to raise the question of human rights, which is what Islam Karimov needs today. And if you add to this the problem of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, the Taleban's threats of a jihad, then it's an altogether successful choice. The Uzbek special services do not always apply legal methods when trying to neutralize members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and the Hezb-e Tahrir party. This is known even in the distant West. In Uzbekistan, the issue of Muslim brothers being killed in Afghanistan is simply not raised. Many clergymen and ordinary Muslims simply dare not express a view other than the official one... Source: Res Publica web site, Bishkek, in Russian 1 Dec 01 Source: BBC Monitoring |
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