Religious tolerance and interfaith harmony in Uzbekistan

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         The Declaration of Independence and the commitment of the Government of Uzbekistan to the ideals of democracy, the choice of a secular path for the development of society gradually made it possible to create equal legal conditions for the existence of religions in general and religious groups in particular. 

         In the religious sphere, this large-scale work is carried out by the relevant state bodies and civil society institutions and is aimed at providing citizens with the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of conscience and strengthening religious pluralism, tolerance, and interfaith dialogue. 

         One of the significant results of the joint work was the adoption in December 2018 by the UN General Assembly of a special resolution on “Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance”.

The adoption of the resolution was the practical implementation of the initiative of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, put forward at the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. The main goal of the proposed resolution is “ensuring universal access to education and the elimination of illiteracy and ignorance”. 

         It is noteworthy that the resolution was not only unanimously supported by all UN member states but was also adopted with the co-sponsorship of over 50 countries. This testifies to the high recognition by the international community of the relevance and timeliness of the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan. 

         The document is intended to “promote tolerance and mutual respect, ensure religious freedom, protect the rights of believers, and prevent their discrimination”. The resolution emphasizes the importance of promoting peace, human rights, tolerance, and friendship, as well as the importance of integration, mutual respect, tolerance, and understanding for the sake of strengthening security and peace on the planet.

         All international, regional, and national initiatives aimed at promoting interreligious, intercultural, and interfaith harmony and combating discrimination against individuals based on religion or belief are welcomed in the document.

         At the same time, in the adopted resolution, UN member states are invited to implement appropriate communication strategies, such as large-scale propaganda work in national and international media, as well as on the internet, and disseminate educational information about tolerance, non-violence, and freedom of religion or belief. The key role of UNESCO is underlined in the document on promoting peace and security in the world by expanding cooperation among nations through education, science, and culture.

         In recent years, significant changes have taken place in Uzbekistan, and large-scale reforms have been implemented in many areas, including the religious and educational spheres.

         Several legislative acts aimed at further improving activities in the religious sphere have been adopted. To study Islam in depth and teach its basics, the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan was established. The Academy specializes in teaching secular and religious knowledge, training qualified personnel in the interpretation of the Koran, Islamic law, religious dogmas, and hadiths. 

         In Uzbekistan, peculiar mechanisms are involved in the revival of national and religious values, the promotion of the rich scientific and spiritual heritage of great ancestors, the strengthening of religious tolerance in society, and the Center for Islamic Civilization. International research centres named after Imam Bukhari, Imam Termizi, and Imam Maturudi have also commenced their activities.

         As a result of large-scale reforms and transformations carried out in the religious sphere, the Higher Madrasah Mir Arab in Bukhara and the School of Hadith Studies in Samarkand began their activities.

         In addition, the “Waqf’ Charitable Public Foundation was established under the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, among the tasks of which is financing the reconstruction of mosques, holy places of pilgrimage and visiting, and other facilities, providing a material and technical base, and providing material support to workers in this area. The fund had the possibility of managing funds, which have been transferred to three financial accounts: charity-based, vaqf, and zakah (ushr, fidiya, and fitr).

         By the adopted legislative acts, to further improve the activities of the Committee for Religious Affairs under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, a new composition of the Council for Religious Affairs, which is a public advisory body under the Committee, was approved. 

In addition, a department for work with women has been created in the structure of the Committee for Religious Affairs, and the position of a deputy chairman in charge of this area of work has also been introduced. A Republican propaganda group has been set up to coordinate spiritual and educational work among women.

         At the same time, Uzbekistan attaches great importance to the preservation of religious and spiritual heritage, the enrichment of existing funds, the creation of the necessary conditions for local and foreign researchers to work with historical sources, and a comprehensive study of samples of historical and cultural heritage. 

         Nowadays, to ensure interethnic and interfaith harmony in society, a legislative framework has been created that provides for the observance of the rights and legitimate interests of citizens. 

         The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan establishes the norm of freedom of religion for everyone.  It is also given considerable attention to the improvement and liberalization of national legislation in the sphere of religion. There have been simplified procedures for permission to produce, import, and spread religious literature. The procedure for state registration of religious organizations has been further optimized. 

         The new Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations” is currently in force, which promotes ensuring the constitutional rights of citizens of the country as well as freedom of conscience and religion.

         Currently, in total, 2,350 religious organizations of 16 religious denominations operate in Uzbekistan. Among them, the Muslim organizations are numbered 2153, which is 92 per cent of the total volume. There are also 179 Christian organizations operating in Uzbekistan, including 8 Jewish communities, 7 communities of the Bahai Faith, one “Hari Krishna” society, and one Buddhist temple, as well as the Interfaith Bible Society of Uzbekistan.

Recently, there have been registered 111 religious organizations in Uzbekistan, of which 2 higher and one secondary specialized Islamic educational institution in Bukhara, Samarkand, and Termez, as well as 85 mosques and 23 non-Islamic organizations.

         At the same time, the national legislation of Uzbekistan does not provide any restrictions on the number of religious organizations or the timing of their registration. 

         The religious organizations operating in the Republic, along with other public organizations, actively participate in spiritual and educational works, make a significant contribution to improving the spirituality of society, the formation of strong beliefs among young people based on patriotism, as well as the provision of inter-confessional and inter-ethnic tolerance.

         It should be noted that the religious policy in Uzbekistan is based on the principles of the secular nature of the state, religious tolerance, and equal treatment of all religions. The representatives of various nations and ethnic groups professing Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and other religions carry out their activities in the Republic on equal terms.

         All conditions have been created for the adherents of each confession, allowing them to freely and unhinderedly practice their religion. Believers freely pray in mosques, churches, and synagogues, observe fasting, and also make pilgrimages. Religious organizations have the right to their territory, publish literature, train their religious ministers, and organize pilgrimages to sacred places.

         The freedom of religion guaranteed by the national legislation of Uzbekistan has created all necessary conditions for meeting the religious needs of all citizens, including the representatives of 138 national and ethnic groups.

         The representatives of different faiths freely celebrate all religious holidays. Therefore, from year to year, Eid al-Adha (Kurban Hayit) and Ramadan (Hayit) and Eid-Al-Fitr are celebrated on an increasingly large scale - among Muslims, Easter and Christmas among Christians, Passover, Purim, and Hanukkah among Jews, Navruz among Bahai, as well as festivities dedicated to Buddha and Krishna and other big events. 

         Devout people make pilgrimages to holy places: Muslims go to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj and Umrah rituals; Christians go to Russia, Greece, and Israel; and Jews - to Israel.

         During the years of independence, about 430 thousand Muslims made a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, including 158 thousand who performed Hajj and 272 thousand who performed Umra. More than 2,9 thousand Christians and Jews visited religious shrines in Israel, Russia, Turkey, Italy, Georgia, and Greece.

         For full coverage of the religious life of Uzbekistan, several newspapers and magazines are published, including the newspapers “Islom Nuri”, “Word of Life”, and “Khidoyat”, “East Above”.

         Nowadays,  a set of measures is being systematically implemented in Uzbekistan to protect the population from the negative impacts of destructive ideas that reflect radical extremist ideology and religious fanaticism.

         An important step in this direction was the application of acts of clemency. In particular, since 2017, 22 decrees of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan have been adopted on clemency for persons who have committed crimes.

         It should be noted that in recent years, within the framework of the consistent policy pursued in Uzbekistan in the field of protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens, special attention has been paid to measures aimed at protecting the rights, freedoms, honour, and dignity of not only citizens living in the republic but also our fellow citizens who find themselves in a difficult life situation in foreign countries.

         Unfortunately, some of our citizens who fell under the influence of alien ideas and believed false promises in different years joined the ranks of international terrorist organizations in zones of armed conflict abroad. Spouses, fathers of some of the women returned as part of humanitarian operations, died during armed clashes.

         Given this circumstance, on behalf of the President of Uzbekistan, in 2019–2021, five “Mehr” humanitarian actions were successfully carried out, within which more than 500 citizens of the republic, mainly women and children, were returned to their homeland from the zones of armed conflicts in the Middle East and Afghanistan. 

         To further assist in their speedy reintegration and rehabilitation at the state level, a set of measures has been implemented for the timely provision of medical, psychological, material, and moral assistance. To date, the necessary conditions have been created for all repatriates adaptation to peaceful life and integration into society, including access to educational and other social programs, including housing and employment.

         The Uzbek authorities are focusing on establishing constructive dialogue and cooperation with international organizations and experts in the religious field.

         During the visits of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein (May 2017) and the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Lamberto Zannier (April 2018) to Uzbekistan, the current state of affairs were discussed, the reforms in our country were highly appreciated, and it was noted that Uzbekistan pays special attention to ensuring interethnic harmony and religious tolerance, strengthening friendship between representatives of various nations and nationalities. 

         Following the visit to Uzbekistan of the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion and Belief, Ahmed Shahid (October 2017), a separate document was adopted on the implementation of a set of measures in the field of religion.

         The Special Rapporteur noted the progress made in simplifying the registration procedures and carrying out the activities of religious organizations, as well as improving the system of religious education in the country.

         The UN representative welcomed the interaction of the Uzbek authorities with the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and emphasized the interest in promoting reforms in the field of protecting religious freedom in the country.

         One more piece of information. In December 2020, the US State Department excluded Uzbekistan from the so-called “Special Watch List” to ensure religious freedoms. 

         It should be noted that in 2018, given the significant improvement in the situation in the field of ensuring religious freedoms, Uzbekistan was excluded from the list of “countries of particular concern”. Since 2006, the Republic has been on this “black list” for 12 years. The exclusion of Uzbekistan from the “Special Watch List” is a huge achievement and international recognition for our country.

         In general, it is worth noting that an important distinguishing feature of the religious life of modern Uzbekistan is the inadmissibility of establishing advantages or restrictions for one religion over other confessions.

         One of the main priorities in reforming society to ensure interethnic harmony and religious tolerance is to ensure and protect the rights and freedoms of citizens and their equality before the law, regardless of race, gender, nationality, language, social origin, beliefs, religion, personal status, and social status, which are enshrined in the Constitution of Uzbekistan.

         Uzbekistan consistently and strictly fulfils its international obligations in the field of ensuring religious freedom within the framework of international human rights treaties. 

         It is known that Uzbekistan has acceded to more than 70 major international human rights instruments. Accession to these documents contributed to the creation of an effective system for the protection of human rights in Uzbekistan. 

         It is important that the policy pursued by Uzbekistan in the field of religion, aimed at strengthening interfaith dialogue and religious tolerance in society, be an important factor in stability and security.

         In conclusion, it should be emphasized that the large-scale reforms being implemented in the country are a clear confirmation of the consistent continuation by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan of the implementation of the principle “Everything for the sake of man, for the sake of his future”.