Shaimerdenova K.G.
The professor of the chair of philosophy and sociopolitical disciplines
of NSC RK Frontier
Service Academy
DISTRIBUTION OF ISLAMIC EXTREMISM IN THE CENTRAL ASIA AND THE REPUBLIC
OF KAZAKHSTAN
We live in a hard time. Global changes take place in the world. From the
world history it is known, on a joint of millenia and centuries the world
cardinally changes. Some states disappear, other states appear. Often the
states change their political mode and status. Let’s remember disintegration of
Sacred Roman empire, Great Osman empire, occurrence and disintegration of the
Turkic states, occurrence of world religions, etc.
The beginning of every millenium in mankind development is characterised
by their features. So in the beginning of the first millenium of our era world
religions originated: the Christianity and Islam, during the epoch of great
geographical discoveries new states and colonies appeared.
The second millenium was the hardest in destinies of the world
community: two world wars took place which captured great amount of states and
carried away a large quantity of a world's population.
What does the third millenium prepare for us? This question excites all
the people of our planet. From here starts great interest in outer space
exploration. The end of XX century is characterised by strain of relations
between the advanced states for repartition of already divided world for
prevalence over other states. Especially at the end of XX century earlier not
so strongly widespread kinds of threats to mankind existence such as terrorism,
sale of weapons of mass destruction, narcobusiness and a narcotism appeared.
The Islamic extremism, migratory processes not only inside the states, but
outside the continents, a refugee problem and other problems at the beginning
the XXI-st century gains the increasing distribution in the Asian region. Thus
many these threats are closely interconnected with each other and every year
cover the increasing number of the states and their population.
Extremism does not correspond to the reality or norms of the standard
behaviour. For religious extremists the belief is more important than all,
including the facts and logic. The extremism based on an extreme measure of
views and actions, manifested itself by extreme intolerance to representatives
of various faiths that is often used for achievement of political purposes or
in struggle between the religious organisations and the secular state.
Conflicts between secular and extremist forces of the Central Asia began
in 1991, and since then a lot of fierce collisions took place. After
disintegration of the Soviet Union some scientists assumed that the religious
extremism will make the region of the Central Asia one of the most unstable in
the world. And it happened so. The reason of rising of extremist movement in
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan has been caused by such factors, as
weakness of a political course, deterioration of economic conditions,
corruption, sharp decrease in a standard of living, unemployment and the
inefficient government.
Ideologists of extremism are full of determination to extend and,
finally, to establish their faith in all the region that has generated struggle
between supporters and opponents of the given ideology.
On the
territory of centralasian states in the period of gaining independence by them
the following Islamic parties and groupings operated and appeared:
- Islamic party of revival of Uzbekistan (IPRU);
- Party «Adolat» (Justice);
- "Islom Lashkarlari" (Warriors of
Islam);
- "Tovba" (Repentance);
- "Ijmonchilar" (Believers) or
"Akramijlar", or "Halifatchilar" (Adherents of halifat);
- Islamic movement of Uzbekistan I (GO);
- "Hizb-ut-Tahrir" (clearing Party);
- Islamic movement of Turkestan (the Central
Asia);
- Party of Islamic revival of Tajikistan (PIRT).
All these
organisations unite the general requirements:
- Returning to the main principles and Islam
canons, clarification from heresy and "deviations";
- The political system based on hakimie and
halifat;
- shariyat laws at which execution of norms of
Sheriyat has a priority before the legislative and executive authorities.
The religious extremism in the Central Asia is one of the most serious
nonconventional threats for safety of the states of the Central Asia and their
neighbours. Deterioration of an economic situation, corruption and a democracy
lack will still involve people into the religious organisations: to Islamic
movement of Turkestan (IMT) and "Hizb-ut-Tahrir". The measures undertaken
by the government for improvement of economic situation and for advancement of
an active management, should reduce attractiveness of religious extremism. The
most part of population CAR do not support radical Islam. However they are not
valid for resistance and will become closed if on them imposes Muslim
restrictions/1/.
Threat of religious extremism also exists in Kazakhstan and is a
priority of national safety. Kazakhstan has signed 11 international conventions
on anti-war actions, struggle against terrorism and Islamic extremism. Also
Kazakhstan is a member of the Shanghai organisation of the cooperation all
participants of which have signed the Convention on struggle against terrorism,
separatism and extremism, takes active part in the activity of the Contract
Organizations for collective safety (COCS), and also is a member of the
Antiterrorist centre of the CIS.
The XX-th century, as «a century of nationalism», and its end and
beginning of the new century, as «the third world war» with its escalation of
local conflicts and ideological opposition pose a problem of religious outlook
any more not as an abstract subject of a metaphysical order, but as the
concrete knowledge promoting decrease of regional intensity. Distribution of
terrorism and violence threat to the world is connected by that «terrorist
murders always were widespread ways for decision of political, social,
religious, separative and terrorist movements, the organisations and
structures. In the Military doctrine of the Republic of Kazakhstan terrorism
and violence threat are qualified as the threats breaking unity and territorial
integrity of the Republic of Kazakhstan, internal political stability in the
country/2/.
For Kazakhstan from its polyethnical and multiconfessional structure of
the population maintenance of stable relations, preservation of peace and
consent between the people acts as one of important priorities of the state
policy. The country leaders direct all efforts to maintenance of stability and
achievements of international consent on the basis of national and cultural
revival of the people of Kazakhstan. Thereupon the President of Republic of
Kazakhstan N.A.Nazarbaev underlined: «On the Kazakh earth all world religions
have passed, therefore intolerance or religion fanatism is alien to us. This is
spiritual tradition, this openness to the Divine word in any frame - one of the
major bases of interconfessional consent in Kazakhstan. We are known to the
world by our tolerance, interethnic, interconfessional consent and dialogue.
The growing peace-making potential of our country should remain and develop
carefully further»/3/.
Thanks to a far-sighted policy of the President of Kazakhstan in the
Republic atmosphere of interconfessional peace and interreligious consent was established.
Spending in Astana the Congress of leaders of the world and traditional
religions, which is a unique dialogue platform between various civilisations
and cultures became one of certificates of far-sighted politicy of our
President/4/.
To bodies of national security in the struggle against terrorism and
religious extremism to study the ethnoconfessional situations in the Republic
of Kazakhstan is necessary to organise complex studying of all religions
existing on the territory of the country. For the organisation of fundamental
religious researches the great value has not simply presence of information
concerning this or that religion or data of separate sociological questionnary. It is necessary to generate uniform system of the
official statistical data about the registration and dynamics of development of
number of believers, the quantity of the religious organisations on the
territory of Kazakhstan and scientifically-analytical reviews of religious
literature, periodical religious magazines and newspapers, both published in
the country and arriving from abroad.
Modern ethnoconfessional situation which has developed in the country,
in the general plan is estimated as stable. At the same time, in the country
process of socialisation of the religion characterised by strengthening of the
given factor on formation of identification criteria and self-identification of
Kazakhstan citizens on a religious accessory, and also distribution of radical
ideas under a religious flag is observed. It assumes necessity of perfection
system of preventive activities for practical divisions to struggle against
terrorism and religious extremism.
Analytical and research divisions NSC of the Republic of Kazakhstan
should organise concrete interaction with the Committee of religions affairs of
RK Ministry of Justice which carries out within the competence realizational
and control functions in sphere of maintenance of constitutional richts of
citizens for freedom of worship and interactions with religious associations. With
a view of increasing the efficiency of preventive activity in the struggle
against terrorism and religious extremism scientific research divisions of NSC
RK have to develop the complex program for studying ethnoconfessional
situations in the country.
All divisions of NSC RK must supply the country authorities in due time
not only by data about ethnoterrorist and other antigovernmental groups and
communities, but also moods of political elite and all Kazakhstan community. It
is necessary to trace constantly changes of moods in various regions, social,
national and religious groups, creating thereby possibility for necessary
timely and exact correction of an internal political course spent by the power.
From here necessity for studying the question on preparation of
experts-religionists at educational institutions of NSC RK also follows. As
there is an obvious aspiration for penetration to the territory of the Republic
of Kazakhstan for foreign special services receptions for solving religious and
ethnic questions under the slogan of the further advancement of democracy on
the East are still actual. To the openness of Society
adequate measures for its protection should correspond/5/.
At the end of the report it would be desirable
to stop on the culture of dialogues between the religions questions of which
have been published on pages of the magazine "Policy" during
conversation with the Tibetian Buddhist spiritual leader, the outstanding
public figure, the thinker, the Nobel prize winner of the world, the honourable
doctor of some large research centres, the initiator of the international
conferences on questions of dialogues of religion and science, religion and
policy, the author of works on Buddhist philosophy and practical secular
ethics.
The Dalay-llama XIV Tendzin Gjatso urges to pay
much attention to real practice of spiritual doctrines in an everyday life
which is capable to become a strong basis of the world and the international
safety and will allow to avoid not due use of religion owing to mind obscurings/6/.
The Dalay -llama during conversation with the
journalist of American magazine "Newsweek" has noticed that in
different parts of the world the flame of conflicts under the flag of religion
continues to be inflated: «People take in hands the weapon for the sake of
religion only because their own limitation does not allow them to comprehend
the original sense of own dogma»/7/.
The literature:
1 Ramakant Dvivedi.
Nonconventional threats of safety in the Central Asia. In the book: Prospects
of strengthening of the Kazahstan-Indian partnership. Almaty, 2006, p.175-202.
2 The military
doctrine of the Republic of Kazakhstan (in a statement).//the Kazakhstanskaya
pravda. On April, 7th, 2007
3 Nazarbayev Í.À. Kazakhstan on a way of the accelerated economic,
social and political modernisation. - Almaty, Atamura, 2005. – p.73.
4 The
Kazakhstanskaya pravda. From mail of the head of the state. Thanks to a
forward-looking policy. On November, 8th, 2012 ¹ 388-389, p.1.
5 Dabzhanova
Z.B.Iudazim and its evolution in the XX-th century: philosophical - religious
aspect. The dissertation author's abstract on competition of the scientist
degree Doctor of Philosophy. Almaty, 2007 p.33.
6 The Dalay-llama
XIV - without a policy. “Aliya needs the West, and the West needs Aliya”.
Conversation of the Dalay-llama XIV with the magazine "Polis".//the
Polis, ¹ 5 2012, p.93.