FEARS OF ISLAMIC EXTREMISM GROWING

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001707


DEPT FOR SCA/CEN, DRL, INR

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/07/2016
TAGS: PGOV KIRF KISL PHUM PTER SOCI UZ
SUBJECT: FEARS OF ISLAMIC EXTREMISM GROWING

REF: A. 05 ANKARA 2030 (NOTAL)

B. TASHKENT 1123 (NOTAL)

C. TASHKENT 1643 (NOTAL)

Classified By: AMB. JON R. PURNELL, FOR REASONS 1.4 (B, D).


1. (C) Summary: The GOU has urged Tashkent community leaders
to take robust measures to discourage Islamist tendencies
among the public. An Embassy contact with strong local
government connections said that officials expressed fear
that Islamists may be planning disturbances ahead of the 2007
Presidential elections. They urged local leaders to remain
highly vigilant, alleging that Islamic radicals are blending
in with the population by posing as businessmen. They also
expressed fears over the growing popularity of Islamic
weddings, and recommended keeping a close eye on alumni of
Turkish Fetullah Gulen high schools. Recent press articles
have also urged citizens to wear "national" rather than
religious dress. The GOU appears alarmed by the growing
popularity of Islam, and is responding in a manner
reminiscent of its crackdown on suspected Islamists following
the February 1999 bombings. End summary.

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MEETINGS CALL FOR TARGETING SUSPECTED ISLAMIC RADICALS
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2. (C) The GOU held a series of meetings in Tashkent in July
urging local officials to take measures to discourage the
growth of Islamism. According to an Embassy contact with
excellent local government connections, GOU officials told
participants that they should be especially vigilant in light
of the approaching 2007 Presidential elections. The GOU
officials claimed that Islamic groups "are preparing
something." Officials noted that Islamic radicals often pose
as businessmen by living "under a mask." Citing the Uzbek
proverb, "If you shake the root, it will affect the
branches," officials urged mahalla leaders to harass and
intimidate Islamically-oriented citizens by pressuring their
parents and family members. They also called on families to
discourage their sons from mosque attendance. The GOU's
renewed fervor in cracking down on suspected Islamists is
reminiscent of its response to the February 1999 bombings.
Following those attacks, GOU officials discouraged citizens
from going to mosque, resulting in a dramatic drop in
attendance.


3. (C) Our contact told Poloff that meetings have been held
in every Tashkent district with the participation of the
Tashkent City Mayor, Tashkent City Hokim Toktayev, Police
Chief Nakibov, Prosecutor's Office representative, National
Security Service representative, Tashkent City Imam Anvar
Tursunov, national and mahalla women's committee chairwomen,
religious committee advisers, "Oq soqols" (mahalla leaders),
and mahalla policemen. At a meeting on July 29, officials
strongly scolded mahalla leaders from Tashkent's
Shayhontohur, Sobir Rahimov, and Uch Tepe districts for the
"large number of Wahabbis" in those areas. (Note: Residents
of Shayhontohur and Sobir Rahimov districts, both located in
the old city, are reputed to be more pious than in the rest
of the city. End note.) A participant at the meeting told
our contact that it amounted to a Soviet-style "shaming
ceremony."

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ISLAMIC WEDDINGS SHOULD BE DISCOURAGED
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4. (C) The officials reportedly expressed fear over the
growing popularity of Islamic weddings, explicitly calling
upon local leaders to stymie them. (Note: Islamic weddings
are characterized by a strict separation between men and
women, with only women attending the main wedding hall
ceremony. Alcohol is banned. End note.) The meetings
specifically called on local leaders to prevent "otin oyi"
(female religious teachers) from reciting Islamic prayers to
female guests, recommending that community leaders confiscate
the microphone from such women. They also said that every
effort should be made to pressure restaurant owners not to
host such weddings. According to our contact, the GOU fears
the influence of conservative Islamic weddings on the public,
with such gatherings often attracting in excess of 300-400
guests. (Note: At the same time the GOU has also used
official Islamic clergy to advocate for simpler, cheaper,
wedding ceremonies. End note.)

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KEEPING AN EYE ON ALUMNI OF TURKISH FETULLAH GULEN HIGH
SCHOOLS
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5. (C) The officials reportedly also warned of the threat
posed by alumni of Turkish Fetullah Gulen high schools,
noting that they were especially dangerous because of their
"high intelligence, ability to stick together, and experience
studying abroad." (Note: The Fetullah Gulen movement is a
conservative Islamist movement with a broad following in
Turkey, that has built a worldwide network of schools - ref
A.) They added that the GOU has compiled a list of all the
"Gulen" alumni. (Note: A Turkish diplomat told Poloff that
the GOU shut down all 26 Gulen high schools in 2003 following
a downturn in Turkish-Uzbek relations. While Gulen high
schools were well respected for their high quality education,
the GOU suspected that their curriculum included an illegal
religious component. End note.) The fears over "Gulen"
alumni could also reflect its wider concern over students and
professionals who have benefited from any kind of foreign
influenced, particularly Western style, education programs.
The GOU has cracked down on studying abroad, especially in
the United States, for fear of losing control over the future
orientation of the nation's youth.

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FAMILIES OF PRISONERS RECEIVING SUPPORT FROM ABROAD
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6. (C) As in previous such GOU meetings, officials stated
that wives and family members of prisoners convicted of
religious extremism were receiving funds from international
sources (ref B). The officials stated that they had
intercepted funds being sent to family members from abroad,
but that foreign sponsors were still providing clothes, food,
and religious books to families and local schools. (Comment:
Judging from previous such meetings, the GOU suspects
Islamist extremist groups such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir of funding
the families. End comment.)

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WHERE IS YOUR NATIONAL DRESS?
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7. (C) The meetings asked community leaders to pay close
attention to citizens wearing Islamic head-dress, reportedly
calling on them to discourage girls from wearing hijab.
(Note: Immediately following the February 1999 bombings, the
GOU also cracked down on all outward signs of Islamist
tendencies. In recent years however, the GOU's strict
attitude to the hijab had been loosened somewhat. End note.)
In a related development, an August article in "Tashkent
Turkiston" newspaper, founded by the state-run Kamolot Youth
Movement, condemned wearing of the Islamically-oriented white
skull cap for men, describing it as alien to Uzbek culture.
(Note: Most Uzbek men prefer to wear the traditional "doppa,"
which varies in color and design depending on the region.
End note.) Alleging that wearing white skull caps could turn
into a symbol of "evil forces," the article urged men to wear
national rather than religious dress.


8. (C) Comment: The GOU recognizes that Islamic observance,
including mosque attendance, is rising. It is responding
through a clamp down on perceived radical Islamists involving
arrests of suspected extremists and a grass-roots approach
aimed at nipping any signs of Islamist tendencies in the bud.
The GOU's July meetings targeting Islamists are likely
connected to President Karimov's appointment of a new Mufti
and State Advisor on Religious Affairs in August (ref C).
The purpose seems to be the same in both cases, to combat a
perceived threat from Islamic extremism.


PURNELL