Sebastien Peyrouse
IFEAC, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Reformation of the religious spectrum in Central Asia: the alliance between Islam and Orthodoxy
Since the republics of Central Asia became independent, the idea of religious revival has developed here. Particularly, it concerns a renewed introduction of Islam to society, reflected in the construction of new religious buildings and the opportunity to conduct religious rites without risk. At the same time, other religions – in particularly, Christianity – also profited as a result of liberalization. Some religious schools started a policy of active proselytism with the help of missionaries and foreign confessional organizations. Nevertheless, the emergence of a certain number of so-called “new religious branches”, both Muslim and Christian, has evoked different reactions on three levels: among representatives of Islam, among Orthodox upper clergy, and as a consequence, among political authorities.
Rapid expansion of the foreign Christian missions and the resulting conversion of native populations to Christianity provoked negative reactions on the part of Muslim upper clergy that considers Central Asia as a space essentially and forever belonging to Islam. Although they proclaim respect for Christianity, religious movements conducting active policy of proselytism among the population with Muslim traditions experience increasingly growing pressure. In the future, according to assertions of religious boards, every Central Asian republic must strictly follow the division among native Muslim population, on the one hand, and on the other, European Christians.
The Orthodox Church, on its part, considers it necessary to validate its presence in the Islamic environment and its dominance over other branches of Christianity. This refers to some substantial inner connection that links every representative of the Russian nation to Eastern Christianity, regardless if he is believer or not. On the other hand, in Central Asian publications – most particularly, in periodicals – readers are constantly reminded of good relations with native populations and Islam. To maintain stability, which could be threatened by development of the uncontrolled religious movements as well as by proselytism, Islamic and Orthodoxy upper clergy seek to construct a religious situation around two interconnected poles: Orthodoxy and Islam. Thus, both obviously occupy a certain place in the Central Asian religious scene and forbid themselves to be involved in proselytism among nationalities that traditionally belong to other religions.
Political authorities have assumed the role of arbiter in inter-confessional conflicts and play this function up in order to convert the religious factor into their own instrument. Under joint pressure from Muslim and Orthodox believers, a number of amendments have been introduced to the legislation of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. They reflect the negative attitude to movements considered as alien to regional history and could destabilize division of the society to the native Muslim population and to Europeans-Christians. Thus, legislative limitations do not infringe on Christianity in favor of Islam. On the contrary, they concern a number of elements belonging to both religions: informal groups within Islam and numerous confessions – particularly Protestant ones – linked to Christianity. Thus, in every Central Asian state, we ascertain a dominant position of two religions that are interpreted as “national” ones or as those that have played a significant role in the history of the republics and dominate both the number of ritual buildings and believers and by links to the state. This indicates that the rule of the religious sphere is established not on two-part (Islam-authorities), but on three-part basis: authorities, Islam and Orthodoxy.
