In the Whirlwind of Jihad

From the time of the Arab Conquest in the seventh century, Islam has been an ever-present factor in the lives of Uzbekistan's people --and a force with which political authorities must contend to secure their authority. In this revealing book, Martha Brill Olcott looks at the evolving role of Islam in Uzbekistan, and the intertwined nature of religion, the state, and society in that country. For the greatest part of Central Asia's history the population has accepted a fusion of religious authority with political power. From the time of Russian conquest, however, Islam has effectively been subordinated to the will of secular authorities. Throughout most of the Soviet period, the relationship was an antagonistic one, but one which most believers felt powerless to alter. As Soviet power waned, however, the region experienced a strong religious revival, sufficient to convince the government of newly independent Uzbekistan that the legitimacy of the new secular state had to be predicated at least in part on a demonstrable respect for the country's Islamic faith and heritage. Over the twenty years of independence, Uzbekistan's government has had to continually renegotiate the balance, aware of the desires of its own population but wary of external forces, such as al Qaeda's support for international terrorism in neighboring Afghanistan. Now, as Uzbekistan faces the next phase in its national history, understanding this tension is more critical than ever. Olcott's book shines a needed light on this intriguing and timely topic.

Martha Brill Olcott is a senior associate with the Russia and Eurasia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., and co-director of the al-Farabi Carnegie Program on Central Asia in Almaty, Kazakhstan.