Civil Society in Central Asia

Islam and Tajikistan's Human and Ecological Crisis

Islam and Tajikistan's Human and Ecological Crisis AzizNiyazi The great material prospects, which lie in scientific and technical progress, with all their exceptional importance, yet will not solve the fate ofhumanity. Scientific and technical progress will not bring happiness, ifit is not supplemented by considerably deep changes in the social, moral and cultural life ofhumanity. The inner, spiritual life ofpeople, the inner impetus oftheir activity are very difficult to predict, but this is what in the end the wreck and salvage ofthe human civilization depend upon.I Andrey Sakharov, 1974 To the world at large, the catastrophic situation that has prevailed in Tajikistan is little understood. At the root ofthe political strife which has dominated the news are serious socio-ecological problems. While Islamic tradition in the country is strong, its nature and relationship to the current crisis are little appreciated. The emphasis ofWestern countries has been to model development on the values of industrialized secular democracies. In Tajikistan, traditional Islamic values, which are concerned with a balanced approach to human development and the conservation ofnatural resources, may be the key to stable long-term development. This essay will review the nature ofIslam in Tajikistan, discuss the connection between the "Islamic revival" there and the crisis that erupted in the 1990s, and then propose in general terms the way in which local tradition may hold the solution to problems ofstable development. Tradition Islam began to penetrate the territory which is modem-day Tajikistan quite early on-in the second half ofthe seventh century. Toward the end ofthe eighth The author is grateful to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for its kind help. This article is adapted from Aziz Niyazi, "Islam in Tajikistan: Tradition and Modernity ," Religion, State and Society, ajoumal ofthe Keston Institute (Oxford, England), Issue 1, 1998. With permission ofKeston Institute. Its translation from Russian is by Geraldine Fagan and Lola Niyazi; translation ofadapted sections is by Daniel Waugh. 180 Islam and Tajikistan's Human and Ecological Crisis 181 century the dynamic new religion ofthe Arabs was already becoming established among a significant proportion ofthe population in the area between the rivers Amu Dar'ya and Syr Dar'ya. In the tenth century Islam became the state religion of the Samanid empire, which Tajik historians generally regard as the first formation ofthe Tajik people into a state. The entrance ofthe Tajiks into the young, lively Islamic world was accompanied by the advent ofhigh culture, flourishing scholarship, and the growth ofthe economy. This Central Asian territory between two rivers on the periphery ofthe Islamic world saw the development of a unique Islamic sub-civilization that combined the monotheistic tradition ofAbraham with elements of ancient beliefs primarily linked with a settled, agricultural way oflife. Philosophical, social, and moral thought reached unprecedented heights in Central Asia between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. This intellectual ferment came about under the influence ofSufism, which to a certain extent had distanced itself from the strict orthodoxy of scribes and lawmakers. The Sufis brought a fresh wave of spirituality into the Islamic tradition. The moral and social values they formulated permeate the whole ofclassical Tajik-Persian literature, which can be rightly regarded as the quintessence ofCentral Asian Islam. Nowadays, the Tajik peasant, mullah, engineer, or academic tries as a rule when discussing beliefto support his arguments with the poetry ofJami, Saadi, KhaflZa, Rumi, Rudaki, and other sages who brought together in their work the elevated philosophy ofthe unity ofthe universe, the folk epic, and fundamental morality. The Quran and Sunna were undoubtedly their main inspiration. Modem Tajik proverbs, sayings, and parables are full ofQuranic and early Islamic motifs handed down through medieval poetry.2 At the basis ofIslamic moral ideals is the socio-political doctrine ofthe Naqshbandi, which is widespread among Tajik Sufis. It is better known locally under the name Khojagon.3 Condemning the asceticism of earlier mystic brotherhoods , the Naqshbandi urged fellow Muslims not to tum their backs on worldly problems and called upon their spiritual leaders to move close to thrones and exert all their influence on the ruling powers to prevent despotic rule over merchants, manufacturers, and the peasantry. With this as their aim, Khojagon sheikhs became mentors to sovereigns, attempting to implant in their souls the seeds ofkindness, nobility of spirit, and the fear ofGod. They sometimes put quite heavy pressure on those who were excessively tyrannical, willful , and harsh in their treatment oftheir subjects. This doctrine was particularly clearly manifest in the activities ofthe Naqshbandi Sheikh...