CC BY
18
Section 15. Philosophy
Daniyarov Xushvakt Tajibayevich, The Department of Social sciences, Tashkent State University of Economics, Tashkent, Uzbekistan E-mail: hushvaqt-82@mail.ru
BALANCE BETWEEN RELIGIOUSNESS AND SECULARITY IN CONDIITONS OF GLOBALISATION OF ISLAMIC IDEOLOGY
Abstract: This article covers issues of ensuring a balance of religiousness and secularity in conditions of globalisation of Islamic ideology, and the problems of fighting the political Islam, radicalism, religious extremism, and terrorism are shown in the example of Uzbekistan. In addition, the work makes a special note about the importance of running the fight against extremism and terrorism based on the "education against ignorance" principle.
Keywords: religious tolerance, religious education, extremism, terrorism, fundamentalism, radicalism, fanaticism, Islamic law, secularity.
Nowadays, Islam has become one of the most influential factors affecting social and political life. The processes active in Middle East, partly in Syria, and Iraq are the events that reflect the social orientation of human progress in the 21st century. It is difficult to imagine the future order of the world without the influence of Islamic ideology to the development of modern world. It is the event of globalisation, which is the centre and root of it and which grew in its development in the last decades of 20th century and now covered the entire planet of Earth.
To the beginning of the 21st century the economic, political, cultural and information convergence, communication and influence reached their culmination. Growing influence of Islamic ideology not only in Muslim world but also outside this zone is a proof of this. It is obvious that as globalisation of economic, political, and cultural relations the influence of Islam ideology to world economic processes is continuously growing.
Can we say that there is a special Islamic ideology now? The facts about existence of Islamic geopolitics of political Islam can give answers to this. Presence of Islamic ideology, intended to restore Islamic Caliphate by real actions of ISIS also confirms this truth. In addition, a number of Islamic scholars also acknowledge this truth. For instance, Doctor Ahmad Abdullah (Arab Republic of Egypt) says: "Development of Islam in the 20th century led to establishment of an Islamic ideology similar to ideologies of Marxism, capitalism, liberalism, and socialism" [1].
The Islamic ideology tends to govern in the countries, whose population mostly represent Muslims. It is inevitable to acknowledge certain conditions. The events, which occurred in former Soviet republics, including radicalisation of Islam, popping out of various Islamic movements, even attempts to demolish the secular constitutional order and to establish a social order based on Sharia requirements (Hizb-ut Tahrir, Bahaviya, Akromiya, Nurcisti, etc.) also confirm the above statement. There were many conditions in the secular regime (as spiritual ability) to achieve this purpose. During the governing of the strict ungodly ideology, he people of Central Asia remained Muslims and we can acknowledge that they continued keeping to the Islam religion related customs and ceremonies. Due to ideological changes in the soviet regime, weakening of the CPSU control, the Central Asian republics saw the process of re-Islamisation, which could allow legally expressing the standards and values of Islamic religion. As a result, we saw intrusion of representatives of religion from foreign countries with the main purpose of establishing fundamental and radical trends, creating a network of illegal schools (hujrahs), provided with foreign literature.
Lack of religious education among population led to accept the bahai orientation as the real values of Islam. Some contradiction and separations started to occur that led to conflict in understanding and directing to the traditions and nature of Islam among Muslims. After collapse of the Soviet Union, the international Islamism ideology started filling the gap that appeared after ruining of the communistic-atheistic
ideology a French Islam scholar wrote the following about this: "the purpose of Islamists in re-islamisation of the society is getting to the power. As opposed to fundamentalists Islamists do not support the idea of "going back" to the history, but they devote themselves to fight against modern society and its technical means [2]. Lack of strong ideological control by the government and its weakening by foreign Islamic centres activated the envoys, who managed to get higher rank than the government and official priests had. In 1990's the extremist groups like Hizb-ut-Tahrir (Party ofAllah), bahai faith, or Akromiya tried to divert the society from the path of democratic development and build an Islamic state. As a result, the Islamic ideology started growing rapidly in Uzbekistan, most part of whose population is Muslim and where in Bukhara, Sa-marqand, Qarshi, Termez and Tashkent are situated with most ancient historical Islam monuments are located and were they have great education and moral heritage of Imam Bukhari, Imam Termizi, Imam Moturudy and Bahovuddin Naqshband. On the 16 of February 1999, in Tashkent, in 2004 and 2005 in Tashkent and Bukhara, on the 12-13 ofMay 2015 in Andijan terrorist attacks killed many innocent lives. The early years of national independence of Uzbekistan is specifically noted for disbalance in the society between secularity and religiousness. The main reason that caused ruining of the balance between secular and religious ideology in Uzbekistan may not necessarily have been the attempts of international "Islamic forces" to re-Islamise the society, but possibly the "great games" of certain hegemon countries to achieve their geopolitical purposes to establish their strategic ruling in Central Asia.
By supporting the technologies that cause intentions of ruining political environment, nationalism, separatism, religious extremism in Middle East, Central Asia and other regions, special services of some countries tried to establish an opposition to official governments and managed to do so in some countries.
Application of such methods by Islamic organisations and geopolitical force led to "colour revolutions" in some former Soviet republics and occurrence of the Arab spring events in Middle East countries. The events in 1990's that caused serious social-political instability in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and even later a civil war in Tajikistan can be brought as clear examples to this. The consequences of operations effected by these forces are still felt and dangerous.
Instead of using the mutual tolerance policy, in the conditions of globalisation and convergence of cultures, some geopolitical forces are using the political method of "Divide and Rule," as if they are trying to claim for the rank of the third force, i.e., a conciliatory mission. It is the task of modern philosophic science to analyse and adequately assess these activities and intentions.
In our globalisation era, while the balance between the secularity and religiousness is quite unstable, it is the requirement of time to give scientific analysis of philosophic-methodological aspects of religiousness and secularity. According to the analysts, "it is one of the most important objectives of modern philosophic science to run comprehensive and deep research of scientific issues, related with the philosophy of Islam, its science of law, Islam culture, and morals in moral and ideological fight against terrorism in the mask of Islam" [4]. Fighting only the consequences of this problem is nothing but philosophic illiteracy. In reality, it is more efficient to find and fight against the causes of the problem; it has political, legal, psychological, sociological, religious, moral, and historical features. In the current conditions, no individual, special interpretation and analysis can claim for a real scientific conclusion. Only scientific approach to the issue can give a comprehensive knowledge of its roots, causes, history, evolution, current state, and its potential.
As one of the analysts of religious situation, A. Qodirov noted: "In the conditions of establishing a national democratic statehood in Uzbekistan democracy is not a powerful force in front of radicalisation of Islam and the authoritarian system and bureaucracy" [5].
Despite the attempts of Islamic organisations to turn the secular way of development in Uzbekistan to Islamic development, as opposed to Middle East, Iran, Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Uzbek government managed to establish a reliable legal mechanism to eliminated religious fanaticism, fundamentalism and extremism.
Article 31 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the new edition of the Law "About freedom of religion and religious organisations" introduced on 1 of May 1998, and especially the Strategy of Activities for Development of Uzbekistan in 2017-2021, adopted on 7 of February 2017 are creating the necessary conditions for secular democratic progress and development of pure Islamic education. With this regard, the Religious Office of Muslims of Uzbekistan, the Committee on Religious Issues at the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the local Civil Self-Governing bodies are intensifying practical work on turning the multinational and multi-confessional Uzbekistan into a modern democratic state, based on common human, secular moral values and traditions.
In his speech at the Astana Science and Technologies First Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on the 10 of September 2017, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted with sorrow that although the OIC countries have great financial opportunities, the OIC member countries are not active in implementing innovative ideas and technologies. For instance, he drew the
attention of the audience to the low ranking of OIC member countries higher education institutions, while only 11 of which are among World 500 best Universities Rating or these countries shared only 1.9% of patent applications were resolved positively. To this regard, he proposed an initiative to arrange and popularise an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation international award for contribution to development of science and technologies. President of Uzbekistan made a special note that though most Muslim countries host rich natural resources, great financial opportunities, they are not able to demonstrate activeness in implementing innovative ideas and technologies, and he only way to resolve this issue would be to intensify cooperation between the member countries and pay more attention to the global climate change, establish highly efficient computer centres, complex work with young scientists and youth [6].
The fact Sh. Mirziyoyev stated that Uzbekistan were ready to establish one of the size efficient computer centres in its territory, which he had recommended and his suggestion in establishing an International Islam World Young Scientists Centre proves that the leader of our country believes that ensuring development of secular sciences and due using of religiousness in this is one of the important conditions to ensure social stability.
In addition, President Sh. Mirziyoyev's speech at the 72th UNO General Assembly on 10 of September 2017 cause great interest not only in the Muslim world, but also among the world community.
With its vitality, proposal of our President from the high stand of the UNO to adopt this respected organisation's resolution called "Education and religious tolerance" is of great importance. In his speech, the leader of our nation made a special note that the main purpose of this document would be to ensure access to education for everyone, assisting in elimination of illiteracy and ignorance, and this resolution is intended to establish tolerance and mutual respect, ensure freedom of religion, protect the rights of believers, and prevent their humiliation [7].
In general, the speech of the leader of our state at the 72 assembly was another step to deliver the real humane sense of Islamic religion to world community.
International Islamic Academy was established according to the Order by President Sh. Mirziyoyev "About measures for radical improvement of the activities of the religious-educational field" [8]. This Academy is a leading educational and scientific-research institution, specialised in training skilled professionals in Quran sciences, Hadiths, Islamic law, aqeedah (dogma), tasawwuf, Islamic economy and finance, international relations, foreign languages (Arabic, Persian, English, Russian, Urdu, Turkish, etc.) and other internationally re-
quired fields, arranging a unified education system in postgraduate and skills improvement stages and deep study and careful preservation of scientific heritage, and offering secular and religious education. In addition, the Islamic Civilisation Centre was established within the framework of executing the Resolution of President Sh. Mirziyoyev "About measures to establish an Islamic Civilisation Centre in Uzbekistan a the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan" [9].
The point is the right way is not opposing religiousness to secularity, but relevant use of religiousness in secular development. Opposing religiousness to secularity, its politicisa-tion is very dangerous - it leads to broadening of the threat of religious extremism and religious fundamentalism to international community, relationship between countries and nations. The future of Uzbekistan lies in preservation of the balance between religiousness and secularity, ensuring tolerance between nationalities and confessions, establishing friendly neighbour relations between Muslim and non-Muslim worlds.
Therefore, on 7 of February 2017, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan issued the Order "The strategy of activities on further development of the Republic of Uzbekistan". Orientation Five of this Strategy of Activities poses the issue of ensuring security, inter-ethnic friendship, and peaceful coexistence and religious tolerance, strengthening the independence and sovereignty of our state, intended for running well-thought and practical foreign policy, and establishment of safe, stable, and friendly neighbouring environment around Uzbekistan.
The broad practical actions in process by our government for ensuring the balance of relations of religion and the state are also acknowledged by international community.
As a conclusion, we thought it expedient to propose the following recommendations for ensuring a balance between secularity and religiousness in the conditions of globalisation of Islamic ideology:
• Enhancement of scientific-research work on in-depth study of teaching social disciplines that serve improving ideological immunity of the main social layer, i.e., the younger generation, who fall under the intellectual forces with radical views trying to form the ideology of politicised religious organisations;
• Development of complex state programmes for coordination of actions intended for preventing radi-calisation of inter-ethnic and interregional religious conscious and politicisation of religion;
• Improving efficiency of leading Islamic studies centres in the Oriental world and the West and assisting in combination of their opportunities for the purposes of prevention from conducting duplicating research works;
• Find mutually conformant interests of the Oriental and Western Islamic Studies schools, develop cooperation between such;
• In-depth study of the experience of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which is based on the principle of "education against ignorance" to ensure the balance between secularity and religiousness in building a civil society on the basis of a constitutional state and democratic values.
• Holding special scientific conferences on practical assistance to get rid of Islamophobia among the population of the Western countries;
References:
1. Doctor A. Abdullah. Islam of "Third way": on the other side of "secular" and "strict" Islam // State and religion in countries with Muslim population. Editors Z. I. Munavvarov and R. Y. Krum.- Tashkent, 2004.- 126 p.
2. Roy O. Le'ehec de I'islam politique. 1992.- P. 17-18.
3. Safarova N. Terrorism: sources, purposes and globalisation process.- T.: "Fan", 2006.- 191 p.
4. Qadirov A. Radicalisation of religious conscious of Muslim population and role of law enforcement bodies in prevention of religious extremism // Secularity and religion in Muslim countries: search for rational ratio. Editors Z. I. Munavvarov and R. Y. Krum.- T: - Tashkent. 2005.- 96 p.
5. Speech by President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh. Mirziyoyev at the First Summit of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Science and Technologies. Khalq so'zi. 10 September 2017.
6. Speech by President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh. Mirziyoyev at the 72th UNO General Assembly. Khalq so'zi. 10 September 2017.
7. Order by Sh. Mirziyoyev "About measures for radical improvement of activities of the religious-educational field" No PF-5416 dated 16 April 2018.
8. Resolution of President Sh. Mirziyoyev "About measures to establish an Islamic cultura Centre in Uzbekistan a the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan" No PQ-5416 dated 23 June 2018.
