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Political Islam in Central Asia: Post Independence Revivalism (1992-2014)

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Political Islam in Central Asia: Post Independence Revivalism (1992-2014) POLITICAL ISLAM IN CENTRAL ASIA: POST INDEPENDENCE REVIVALISM (1992-2014) Doctor of Philosophy In International Relations by Adam Saud School of Politics and International Relations Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad 2017 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v ABBREVIATIONS vii GLOSSARY OF NON-ENGLISH WORDS ix MAP OF CENTRAL ASIA xii INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK 19 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Maududi, Jama’at Islami (Islamic Party) and the Islamic State 1.3 Syed Qutb, Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and the Islamic State 1.4 Khomeini, Islamic Revolution and the Islamic State 1.5 Fundamentals of Islamic Polity 1.6 Implementation of Islamic state in the contemporary world 1.7 Tahir Amin and the ‘World Orders in Central Asia’ CHAPTER 2: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 49 2.1. Early Period 2.2. Central Asia Under Czar 2.3. Central Asia Under Soviet rule 2.4. Jaded Movement 2.5. Basmachi Movement 2.6. Sufism CHAPTER 3: SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL 74 CONDITIONS OF CENTRAL ASIA 3.1. Introduction 3.2. Uzbekistan and its Political System i 3.3. Economic Conditions of Uzbekistan 3.4. Tajikistan and its Political System 3.5. Economic Conditions in Tajikistan 3.6. Kyrgyzstan: A Real Democracy? 3.7. Market Economy of Kyrgyzstan 3.8. Ethnic Division and Kyrgyz Politics. 3.9. Human Rights conditions in “Democratic” Kyrgyzstan 3.10. Nursultan Nazarbaev and centralized political Setup in Kazakhstan 3.11. Ethnic Division 3.12. Economic Conditions in Kazakhstan 3.13. State responses to Islamism in Kazakhstan 3.14. Turkmenistan and the Personality Cult of Niyazov 3.15. Socio-economic and Political Conditions 3.16. Human Rights Violations and the Rise of Political Islam in Turkmenistan CHAPTER 4: ISLAMIC MOVEMENT OF UZBEKISTAN 119 4.1. Introduction 4.2. Historical Background 4.3. Tauba and hostage taking of 1992 4.4. Establishment of IMU 4.5. Aims and Objectives of the IMU 4.6. Membership 4.7. Sources of Finances 4.8. Social Support to IMU 4.9. Activities of the IMU 4.10. Beyond Andijon: An Uzbek Group? 4.11. State Responses 4.12. Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) ii CHAPTER 5: ISLAMIC RENAISSANCE PARTY OF TAJIKISTAN 150 5.1. Introduction 5.2. IRPT and the ideology of Maududi, Banna and Qutb 5.3. Aims and Objectives of IRPT 5.4. Membership and Finances of the IRPT 5.5. Strategy of IRPT 5.6. Transnational Linkages: Religious or Secular? 5.7. Social Support Bases 5.8. Weaknesses/Problems/failures CHAPTER 6: HIZB-UT-TAHRIR AL-ISLAMI 172 6.1. Introduction 6.2. Historical Background 6.3. Hizb-ut-Tahrir and the Islamic State 6.4. Organizational Structure 6.5. Islamic State in Central Asia 6.6. Strategy in Central Asia: Peaceful or violent? 6.7. Membership 6.8. Foreign Policy of Islamic State 6.9. Basis of Support 6.10. Finances 6.11. State Responses to HTI 6.12. Charity Work 6.13. The splinter: Akromiya CHAPTER 7: THE NEW GREAT GAME AND POLITICAL 206 ISLAM IN CENTRAL ASIA 7.1. Introduction iii 7.2. Russia and its Backyard 7.3. Central Asia-Russia Cooperation Against Political Islam 7.4 Chechen Issue and Political Islam 7.5. Transnational Linkages of Chechen Political Islam 7.6. Reasons for the Rise of Political Islam in Caucasus and Russia 7.8. China and Rise of Political Islam on its Western Borders 7.9. Xinjiang and the Chinese Strategy to Counter Political Islam 7.10. Central Asia-Xinjiang Connection of Political Islam 7.11. Reaction to the State Policies 7.12. World Orders against Xinjiang (Political) Islam 7.13. USA, War on Terrorism and Political Islam in Central Asia 7.14. US Strategy to Counter Islamic World Order in Central Asia 7.15. Challenges and Cooperation From Competing World Orders CONCLUSION 233 BIBLIOGRAPHY 245 iv Acknowledgments I owe deep gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Dr. Tahir Amin, for providing me the opportunity to learn from his expertise and work under his guidance to complete this thesis. It was his constant support, encouragement and the help that kept me in the right direction to analyse the research questions. He helped me in reading the authors whose contribution in the field of International Relations is remarkable. It was due to him that I found great treasures of knowledge that will continue to help me in future as well. I am thankful to the senior faculty of School of Politics and International Relations (SPIR) whose constant support, encouragement and friendly attitude enabled me to as well as other students to fulfill their tasks in a better way. I am indebted to Mr. Abdujajil Boymotov, Chairman, Human Rights Commission of Uzbekistan for his constant interviews and providing me opportunity to get other human rights activists interviewed from the region. I am also grateful to Mr. Islam Abu Khalil, member of Hizbut-Tahrir Britain who connected me with Mr. Khamzin Elder, spokesperson for Hizbut Tahrir Central Asia. Thanks to Mr. Eldar by providing me opportunity to interview the members of Hizbut Tahrir in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. I will always be thankful to one of my friends from Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan (not to name upon his request) who did the job of translator while on the field interviews. I am also thankful to Mr. Khikmatullah Saifullah, a senior leader of Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan for providing me information about his party. I am indebted to the Area Study Center for Russia, China, Afghanistan and central Asia, University of Peshawar, Pakistan for providing me opportunity to use their library for this research. Thank you Sitwat Waqar Bukhari for assisting me in editing. Last but not the least, my beloved family, my life partner’s support, patience and time without which I could have never completed this thesis. Prayers of my parents are beyond explanation. My sweet daughters; Dua Saud and Maryam Saud and my lovely son Muhammad Ibrahim Saud never asked me to give them time while I was busy with this research, thank you very much my lovely and sweet kids. Adam Saud October 22, 2015 v Dedicated to my father, Muhammad Yousaf (late), My mentor and my supporter vi List of Abbreviations BTC Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) CACI Central Asian Counter-narcotics Initiatives CACO Central Asian Cooperation Organization CARs Central Asian Republics CASA-1000 Central Asia South Asia 1000 CER Center for Economic Research CIS Commonwealth of Independent States CPSU Communist Party of Soviet Union CPT Communist Party of Tajikistan CSTO Collective Security Treaty Organization DKM Democratic Kyrgyz Movement ECO Economic Cooperation Organization ETM East Turkestan Movement’s HTI Hizb-ut-Tahrir al-Islami ICG International Crisis Group ICRC International Committee on Red Cross IJU Islamic Jihad Union IMT Islamic Movement of Turkestan IMU Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan IRPT Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan ISIS Islamic States of Iraq and Syria IS Islamic State JI Jama’t Islami MMA Mutahidda Majlis e Amal NDN Northern Distribution Network vii OIC Organization of Islamic Conferences OSCE Organization of Security Cooperation in Europe PDPT Peoples Democratic Party of Tajikistan RATS Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure SCO Shanghai Cooperation Organization SDPT Social Democratic Party of Tajikistan SPT Socialist Party of Tajikistan TTP Tehrik Taliban Pakistan TJ Tableeghi Jama’t UTO United Tajik Opposition viii Glossary of Non-English Words (by Central Asians) Adil Just person Adolat Court Aftob-e-Sugdian Sun of Sughd Aalim-e-Niswan World of the women Amanat Trust Ansaruddin Facilitator of the religion Asghar Smaller Auqaf Social welfare Azie Asia Barka Blessings Bukhari Shareef Hadith book Dars Lecture Dar-ul-Harb House of war/enemy state Dar-ul-Islam House of Peace/Islamic state Deen Religion Dilde Fikride IshteBirlik Unity of thought and action Ehya-i-Khojand Revival of Khojant Fasiqeen Hypocrites Fuqahas Jurists Ghazwat-e-Hind Crusades for Indian sub-continent Ihsan Spiritual leader Ijma Consensus Ijtehad Independent reasoning Injeel Gospel Islah To correct Islami Lashkari Islamic Force Islami Riyasat Islamic State ix Jaded Modern Jahiliyah Ignorant/Against Islam Jamat Islami Party of Islam Jamia Masjid Central mosque Jeltoqsan December Khaq the Truth Khulfa-i-Rashideen First four righteous Caliphs of Islam Khursheed The Sun Kolkhez Collective farms Kufr Disbelief Maihan Homeland Mawara an-Nehr Beyond the river Mohallah Neighborhood Mudarris Professor Mufti Muslim legal expert who is empowered to give rulings on religious matters Musalmanabad Muslim Land Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal United Council of Action Naqus Ring the Bells Nejot Salvation Nerui Sukhan Power of the world Nouroz Persian new year Oskkoro Publicity Pirs Spiritual leaders Qadeem Traditional Rah-e-Nijat Path to salvation Roz-e-Nao New day Sada-i-Farghana Voice of Ferghana Sada-i-Turkestan Voice of Turkestan Saleh Righteous x Sayyar Early Muslims’ concept of relations with the non-Muslims states Shariah Islamic Laws Shohrat Glory Shura Consultative body Taghoot Imperialist Takfeer Excommunication or when one Muslim declares another Muslim an unbeliever Tarakki Progress Taraqqiparwar Progressive Tehreek Movement Turkmenbashi Father of Turks Tudzhar Traders Ulema Religious scholars Ulema Jameti Union of Clergy UrtoOziening Umrguzorligi Middle Asian Observer Vilayat-e-faqih Guardianship of the Jurists Wahabi A member of a strictly orthodox Sunni Muslim sect founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703–92). It advocates a return to the early Islam of the Koran and Sunna, rejecting later innovations Wahdat Unity Yurt Homeland Zakat Payment made annually under Islamic law on certain kinds of property and used for charitable and religious purposes Zarb-e-Azb Military operation started by Pakistani Military against terrorists Zulm Oppression xi Figure 1 Map of Central Asia Source: Google Images xii INTRODUCTION The Muslim world has witnessed several movements for the revivalism of political Islam during the twentieth and twenty first centuries.
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