JEDDAH, 6 January 2006 – Uzbekistan, whose nearly 5,000 nationals performed Haj this year, is witnessing a rapid progress both in terms of Islam and economic development. Four hundred of the Uzbek pilgrims came with the support of their country’s leadership.
According to an Uzbek survey, every 5th Muslim in Uzbekistan has had the privilege of performing the Haj pilgrimage since the country’s independence over 15 years ago.
Muslims of Uzbekistan are peaceful and they are very deeply rooted, morally and traditionally. For ages, people of the region have considered Islam as their faith and a source for enlightenment, and it has played a great role in education. A great effort is going on in the country to use Islam effectively and its great potential as a rich spiritual and cultural heritage is being realized, an official Uzbekistan statement said.
During the years of independence, 2,000 mosques have been built or reconstructed and 10 madrasas opened. The Islamic University was established at the initiative of President Islam Karimov. The state pays great importance to religious enlightenment. Qur’an, which for many years was prohibited, is now freely available across the country.
From the days of independence, a process of renaissance is in progress in Uzbekistan. Religion is considered as a power to shape the people’s vision based on moral and spiritual principles to build up on the rich heritage of the country.
The law on freedom of conscience and religious organizations, which was adopted in the republic in 1991, has reflected a new attitude of the state toward religions and believers. The state has been restoring the status of religious places and has built 15 religious complexes. According to an opinion poll, 37.8 percent Uzbeks said they supported the process of religious renaissance in the country, 35 percent said they respected the religious sentiments of all. Some 82 percent respondents said the believers were not discriminated against.
Some extremists and international terrorists shifted their bases in the last few years. The people of Uzbekistan have opposed them, as they consider such activities as a major threat to the country’s stability.
