I completely agree with Alik.

BTW, does anyone has a view on what percentage of the IRP leadership and cadres are actually clerics? Kabiri is certainly not one. While it seems that the old guard among Himmatzoda — reported ill as well — is one the wane. What is also interesting to see is that the IRP is trying to break out of its ‘Garmi’ mold.

“From what I am looking at most of their kind are eager to turn Tajiks into Arabs by imposing rule and traditions that are as alien to us as they are to them.”

It’s a common misunderstanding to think that Islam is an ‘Arab religion’ or a synonym for ‘Arabism’. Its *origins* and the Ummah’s haramain (the 2 holy places i.e. Mekka and Medina) are situated in the Arab core indeed. And its lingua franca and the language of the Qu’ran is Arabic.

Yet today, it is believed that only 25 to 30% of the world’s Muslims have an Arabic background. In terms of numbers, the heavyweights in the Ummah are now Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia. Similarly, its most interesting dynamics take place in Turkey and among Muslim diasporas in the West (the advent of so-called Euro-Islam). And it fastest relative expansion takes place in Africa, the former Soviet Union and the West.

So IMO equalising ‘Islam’ and ‘Arabisation’ is as inadequate as
as claiming that Christianity is a ‘Judean-Samaran’, ‘Roman’ or even ‘European’ religion, while Christianity’s cores are now in the US and South America and its most dynamic growth areas in Africa.

If there was any such thing as an ‘Arabisation’ movement then it was not carried by Islamic groups but by the very secular, sometimes Soviet-supported pan-Arabist/nationalist movements of the sixties (Baathist, Nasser, the Algerian FLN) who all ended in disasters.

“Their goal is to make all Tajiks morph into this homogenious identity they call muslim”

My friend, what is ‘Tajik identity’ after all? At the end of the day, it is a very artificial, Soviet-shaped concept. Like most such ‘national identities’, it will erode with globalisation and social mobility. So will nationalism. The void will have to be filled. And like in many other places in the world, the world religions will fill that void.

Once again, I’d be careful in generalisation. There have been so many stereotypes about ‘Islamists’. But if you visit Muslim Brotherhood, Ak party then you’ll see a lot of novel stuff: they say about freedom, pluralism and Ak party even about secularism. That is, they and their concepts undergone evolvement. I don’t think they are a kind of people who say one and do an opposite. Look at Ak party and their progress in Human rights. Nobody expected such things from islamists. So I’d suggest make distinctions between them.

Maybe the lack of ‘face’ in case of IRP is the sign of confusion where to go, to salafism or to a kind of soft Islamism. MB say ‘islam is solution’. In some cases (not in all) this is the case: at least they have been successful in fighting corruption, in social services. Nationalists like Fatah, in contrary, are steeped in corruption.

To make clear, I’m also against obscurantism and extremism. But can’t attribute them to all islamists.

The very fact that they don’t have a clear-cut agenda is indicative of what their true intentions might be. Plus I don’t quite get your point. You don’t need religion to tell people how to preserve their traditions. If we managed to preserved our traditions under Soviets, we will not lose the ground now and there is no reason for religion to become tangled into this process. Really, they should leave it outside politics.

From what I am looking at most of their kind are eager to turn Tajiks into Arabs by imposing rule and traditions that are as alien to us as they are to them. Examples include brainwashing women to wear hijabs, not recognizing Navruz as a holiday. Trying to brainwash the youth into thinking that singing and dancing are sinful under what they call “tradition”… should I go on or you still think I am exaggerrating?

These guys and their kind are destroying the very fabric of the society by introducing a divide between the people of Tajikistan. Their call for preserving “traditions” is nothing short of hypocritic as they are in fact the ones who are destroying whatever remains of Tajik national identity. Their goal is to make all Tajiks morph into this homogenious identity they call muslim and it is not acceptable to many (just remember the civil war).

Put simply, I don’t trust them. Never trusted them and never will. What they say on paper and claim as their agenda will change the moment they get the power.

“These are not good either, but the difference is that these people can legally be prosecuted by Tajik law, while religious politicians will have a free hand to do whatever they want because no one (especially in Islam) will question their authority as representatives of God.”

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I just looked at the IRP charter and at Ak party statements. There is nothing about Islam there. Erdogan tells just about traditions which should not be neglected. In similar tones is the IRP stuff. Will they indeed bring crerics to the govenment? Isn’t this an exageration to tell such things? As Russians say, ne delaite iz muhi slona.

In the same time, concerning the IRP program, it is still obscure to me what is their message to the society and to their constituency. I’ve looked through a number of publications about them and didn’t find anything about their program. Everything about participation in the elections, change of leadership and the like. It seems to me this party is still without face.

Who reads ‘Nadjod’? Maybe they write something there about their views of state, society, religion, women an so on. For instance, are they salafists or traditionalists?

These are not good either, but the difference is that these people can legally be prosecuted by Tajik law, while religious politicians will have a free hand to do whatever they want because no one (especially in Islam) will question their authority as representatives of God.

With all that power in hand do you honestly believe that we will have a better future? With drug trafficers, etc. in power we at least have some hope of a change for better (sonner or later they could be jailed). With clerics in the government we will be doomed with a structure that no ordinary person can challenge and change no matter how corrupt. In short religion should be kept out of government!!! As far as I see for a good reason…

Question: in case religious clerics become the ruling party in the country what set of rules will they obey? In case the law of a country contradicts Islamic principles/rules (e.g. banking), what will they choose as their governing principle?

Something tells me it is not the

There’s some reference to it here:
English: http://iwpr.net/?apc_state=henirca2005&l=ru&s=f&o=238541

Russian: http://iwpr.net/?apc_state=hrufrca238541&l=en&s=f&o=238542

The Tajik IRP grew out of the Tajik SSR’s section of the all-Soviet IRP. Actually, the latter was opposed to disbanding of the Soviet Union and wanted more rights and religious freedom for the Muslims within the Soviet Union.

If you read German and if you can get the paper online, there is a publication from 1993 that analyzes the IRP’s ustav and programme:

“Die Islamische Partei der Wiedergeburt : eine Studie über Islamismus in der GUS”, Daniil Mikul’skij. - Köln : Bundesinst. für Ostwiss. u. Internat. Studien, 1993

And I agree with Alick that AK rule was not a disaster for Turkey, as compared to the very secular Tansu Çiller.

I wonder, did IRP had any political and social agenda at all, at least in the past? What they called for when started their activity, say in 1991-1992?