Subject: Re: Political Islam in Ferghana
From: Daniel Waugh (dwaugh@u.washington.edu)
Date: Fri May 28 1999 - 00:42:37 EDT
Since we are trying to get some discussion going, let me venture a couple
of comments regarding Saleh's very thoughtful posting. I sense something
of a contradiction in what you are saying, since on the one hand you
clearly recognize that the "accusations" directed toward Ferghana muslims
seem to be inaccurate and politically motivated, while on the other hand
you seem to be accepting the idea that they are accurate (that is, we
really are dealing with "political Islam" and that it may really have had
something to do with the Tashkent bombing). I guess I simply don't know
what to believe about the Tashkent events; apart from that, I find it
somewhat difficult (as an outsider who is not specifically studying the
material) to figure out what really may be going on in Ferghana. My
instincts have been to believe those who insist that the revival of Islam
has been largely non-political; although at the same time I am willing to
believe that the force of political and economic circumstances may be
leading to a politicizing of that which was not political. The evidence
about government actions directed specifically against Ferghana Muslim
leaders seems to be pretty persuasive, but then the "neutral" outsider
might legitimately still ask whether the activity of Muslim leaders is as
"innocent" as their supporters would have us believe.
As I think most of us would agree, the misperceptions so commonly
fostered about "political Islam" are all to much a part of the underlying
assumptions of policy makers in the "West." It seems to me that one
possible product of discussions on this list could be to help develop an
objective basis for the understanding of the importance of religion in the
lives of the people in Ferghana.
Dan Waugh
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