McGlinchey, Eric M. "Divided Faith: Trapped Between State and Islam in Uzbekistan." In Everyday Life in Central Asia: Past and Present, edited by Jeff Sahadeo and Russell Zanca, 305-318. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007.

McGlinchey's chapter is very interesting. It tells the stories of a few contemporary pious, but not radical, individuals who were persecuted by the government in order to show how Uzbekistan monitors and controls religious activity and mosques. McGlinchey argues that piety does not equal extremism.  Sections: The Neighborhood Mosque and the Limits of Uzbek State Control; Family Life and State Intimidation; The State's Manipulation of Radical Islam; Conclusion

Comments: 2/3/10
One individual, Klichev, had a large gathering for his Friday prayer messages because he chose not to recite the state prescribed message.  Due to his independence and possibly his large following, he was imprisoned as a radical even though he had worked hard to encourage youth to not follow a radical path.  As stated by his mother on page 314, "Boltaeva quickly noted the irony of her son's situation: Klichev worked tirelessly to deter fundamentalism and is now serving fourteen years for his own alleged fundamentalism."  As stated by McGlinchey on page 316: "Klichev was an independent imam who preached Islam that, instead of propaganda, promised guidance for the challenges of daily life.  Klichev, now serving his sentence, is paying dearly for this independence."  Such examples tell me that Islam in Uzbekistan, at least for individuals like Klichev, is not simply national or secular.  In order to make such sacrifices, Islam for Klichev, and possibly many others, is deeply religious.  This story makes me wonder what Islam would look like in Uzbekistan if the state did not exert so much control over Islam.

McGlinchey argues that Muslims like Klichev are not radical.  I would further argue that they are needed to keep Islam a good source of moral guidance.  If Islam becomes state propaganda rather than divine moral guidance then maybe the following quote by McGlinchey on page 316 might have some merit: "The Karimov regime's manipulation of Islam, its labeling of social activists as religious extremists in its attempt to legitimate repression, may indeed engender a militant opposition united by, among other things, a strong belief in Islam."  As another informant from Uzbekistan states on page 311, "If Islam is any threat, it comes not from practicing Muslims, but from the state and its false charges of extremism."

Descriptors: 2000s, chapter, ethnography, Ferghana Valley, M, political science, post-Soviet, state control, Uzbekistan