EGYPT ENCOURAGES UZBEK STUDENTS TO STUDY ARABIC AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 000263

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EUR/CACEN, SA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/01/2016
TAGS: ECON PREL PGOV EG UZ
SUBJECT: EGYPT ENCOURAGES UZBEK STUDENTS TO STUDY ARABIC AND
ISLAM WITH FREE PROGRAMS


CLASSIFIED BY AMB. JON R. PURNELL FOR REASONS 1.4 B AND D.


1. (C) DCM met with Egyptian Charge d'Affaires Jailan Abbas
Abdel-Aziz on January 30 to discuss educational programs for
Uzbeks offered by the Egyptian Government. According to
Abbas Abdel-Aziz, annually 20 Uzbek undergraduates receive
four-year scholarships for either Islamic or secular studies
at al-Azhar, though the majority chooses to study Islam.
Those without adequate Arabic receive an extra year of
language training in Cairo before they begin their studies.
Egypt also offers five post-graduate scholarships per year,
though these are not always filled.


2. (SBU) Since 1995, the Egyptian Embassy has run a cultural
affairs center in Tashkent that focuses on teaching Arabic.
Approximately 1,000 students of varied skill-levels study
there in a given year. The teaching staff comprises both
Egyptians and Uzbeks. Students at al-Azhar often return to
Tashkent and work in the Commission for Religious Affairs at
the Cabinet of Ministers or in the Muftiate. The Muftiate
is the GOU-controlled spiritual administrative body,
essentially an arm of the state that carries out the will of
the government regarding Islam. Religious educational
establishments cannot operate without the Muftiate's
permission and oversight. For those wishing to enter one of
these Islamic schools, applicants must go through a series
of tests and interviews on subjects such as the Koran and
President Karimov.) The Egyptian Embassy also serves
several Tashkent institutes and universities within their
Arabic language programs.


3. (C) Abbas Abdel-Aziz characterized Egyptian-Uzbek
relations as "good" but limited. She said that Egypt has a
very small diplomatic presence in Tashkent and that there is
virtually no trade between the two countries. Every year
about 1,000 Uzbeks apply for Egyptian visas, mostly for
tourism with a few visas issued for business or education.
Few Egyptians visit Uzbekistan.


4. (C) Comment: Many Uzbek Islamic studies students seek to
study at al-Azhar, the premier Islamic university in the
world. The moderate strain of Islam taught there both
reinforces the traditional moderate Islam practiced in
Uzbekistan, as well as fortifies future Uzbek Islamic
leaders in refuting the arguments of terrorist groups such
as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. During the Soviet
era, only a handful of state-approved Islamic scholars were
allowed by the Central Muslim Board to study at al-Azhar.
Many Soviet-era diplomats, interpreters and academics
learned Arabic at Tashkent institutes, such as the Oriental
Institute. The Egyptian government, one of a handful of
Arab states with a resident diplomatic mission in Tashkent,
has found a useful niche in promoting the study of moderate
Islam and Arabic.

PRUNELL