"Perspectives on September 11th and its Aftermath," a lecture series sponsored by the Council on International Studies and Programs and the Office of the Vice Provost for International Education, had its fourth lecture in the series of six Tuesday afternoon.
Visiting Fulbright scholar, Guli I. Yuldasheva, Ph.D., presented a lecture entitled, "The Islamic Movement in Uzbekistan."
Yuldasheva said Uzbekistan is located in what some consider the "heart of central Asia." She also provided a short historical background of Uzbekistan. At one point in time, the Soviets, who had control over a majority of central Asia, tried to repress the Islamic faith in Uzbekistan.
"To understand Uzbekistan you must understand certain things," said Yuldasheva. "You must understand its geography and its demographics."
Uzbekistan is a "locked country," surrounded by other nations without access to any large bodies of water. It served as one of the main countries connecting China to the European countries on the Silk Route.
The country has a population of 24 million people, 84 percent of whom are of the Islamic faith. Sixty percent of the population lives in rural areas and, according to Yuldasheva, rural youth tend to be more influenced by radical Islamic ideas.
One of Yuldasheva's main points of discussion was the state of Islam in modern Uzbekistan. "The Muslim world is not homogenous," said Yuldasheva. "Even from the beginning it was multi-ideological ... each Muslim country was interested in spreading their own version of Islam."
"Radical forces in Muslim countries are illegal forces," she said. In Uzbekistan, the influence of radical Muslim organizations and the openness of the country's borders tended to cultivate radical movements. The social and economic conditions of Uzbekistan, uneducated citizens and abuses in government policy were all factors contributing to the success of radical movements, according to Yuldasheva.
After the Sept. 11 attacks, the Islamic world had some development choices. Yuldasheva said one of them was to "solve all our problems and to co-exist peacefully with other Islamic nations." Even though Yuldasheva expressed hope in such a future situation, perfect harmony is an unrealistic expectation.
"These radical ideas will not just disappear forever," she said.
Yuldasheva showed a short video clip that depicted various Muslim leaders offering condolences after the terrorist attacks on the United States.
"Uzbekistan can relate to the 9/11 attacks because it came across similar circumstances in 1991," she said.
The Soviets never really succeeded in repressing Islam in Uzbekistan because it was "preserved on an everyday level," Yuldasheva said. The Soviets could not make the Uzbekistan citizens forget their customs and rituals of birth, marriage and funerals.
"I am here expressing my own personal opinion. I am optimistic ... I doubt these radical powers could ever come to power in Uzbekistan. It is a secular democratic state that protects human rights and openness to foreign policy," Yuldasheva said.
