C-DI8-00223: NO TENSION EXPECTED IN UZBEKISTAN

S E C R E T TASHKENT 000297 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR UZ SUBJECT: C-DI8-00223: NO TENSION EXPECTED IN UZBEKISTAN REF: STATE 20821 Classified By: Political Officer Tim Buckley for reasons 1.4 (B,D) ¶1. (S) There will not likely be any reaction in Uzbekistan to the upcoming release of an anti-Islamic film by Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders (reftel). The Government of Uzbekistan is perpetually concerned about the potential threat of Islamic extremism as a destabilizing force in the country and will seek to minimize the film's impact. The government exerts strong control over the mass media and religious institutions, and most Uzbeks will probably not even hear about the film. The vast majority of Uzbeks are moderate Muslims. The Uzbek people are used to filtered news sources dating to Soviet times, and many are apathetic. The 2005 Danish cartoon incidents did not spark any protests in Uzbekistan. The National Security Service (NSS) has not expressed any concern about the film and there is no indication that extremist groups such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU),Islamic Jihad Union (IJU),or Hizb-ut-Tahrir (HT) plan to capitalize on the film to stir unrest in Uzbekistan. Security forces maintain tight control and public protests of any sort are generally not tolerated and quickly dispersed. There is no Dutch diplomatic representation in Tashkent, though a Dutch citizen does serve as honorary consul. NORLAND