Radical Islam in Central Asia

This original study by distinguished scholar Vitaly V. Naumkin offers an authoritative analysis of the key militant Islamic organizations in Central Asia. Long veiled in secrecy, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Hizb at-Tahrir al-Islami, and the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan are illuminated here for the first time. Based on Naumkin's extensive fieldwork and an unprecedented array of primary sources, the book explains the roots and causes of Islamic militancy, explores the history of political Islam in Central Asia, and presents a comparative analysis of radical organizations and their doctrines. Bringing in the human dimension through his exploration of the lives of key Islamic figures and providing fresh insight into the balance between peaceful and militant struggles for power used by Islamic movements, the author considers the possibility of dialogue with the Islamists and the power-sharing experiment that brought former radicals into the Tajik government. All those interested in the development of political Islam will find this study an invaluable resource.

This original study by distinguished scholar Vitaly V. Naumkin offers an authoritative analysis of the key militant Islamic organizations in Central Asia. Long veiled in secrecy, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Hizb at-Tahrir al-Islami, and the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan are illuminated here for the first time. Drawing on his extensive fieldwork and an unprecedented array of Central Asian primary sources, the author thoroughly compares their doctrines, power bases, and political practices. The book also explores the history of political Islam in Central Asia and explains the concurrent roots of Islamic militancy from the early disputes between Salafis and traditionalists, through the period of Islamic revival in the late 1980s when radical groups first emerged, and up to their growing strength today. Naumkin analyzes the human dimension in Central Asian Islam through the lives of the most significant theologians, mullahs, underground preachers, and teachers in the region, evaluating their role in the spread of Islamic radicalism. Providing fresh insight into the balance between peaceful and militant means of struggle for power used by Islamic movements, the author considers into the possibility of dialogue with the Islamists and the outcome of the 'Tajik experiment' that brought former Islamic radicals into the government. All those interested in the development of political Islam will find this study an invaluable resource.

Chapter 1 Preface
Chapter 2 Introduction
Chapter 3 The Roots and Causes of Islamic Radicalism: The History of Islam in Central Asia
Chapter 4 The Rise and Fall of the Islamic Movement in Uzbekistan
Chapter 5 The Hizb at-Tahrir al-Islami: A Peaceful Expansion?
Chapter 6 Islamists in Government: The Case of the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan
Chapter 7 Conclusion
Chapter 8 Glossary