A Religious Education in Uzbekistan under Soviet Imperialism. A Secular Based Approach

Abstract

It is imperative to identify and analyze the educational policies, embarked in Soviet Central Asia. This paper investigates the seven decades Communist rule in Muslim oriented Central Asia with a special focus to Islamic education policies and approaches. The Communist party serves as a seedbed of power not only in economics and politics but also in the realm of ideology and education. The interrogation and persecution on Religious education institutions, its carriers and scholars, Ulamas and believers clearly depicts the atheistic religious policy of soviets. Atheistic propaganda was intensified in the early 1920’s and 1930’s arbitrary arrests and execution took place to eliminate Muslim leaders who refused to cooperate with the authorities. All Islamic schools (Maktabas and Madrassas) were closed and religious literature was confiscated. Inspite the approach of “ drying them out” Islamic education survived in hujra (monastic cell) system of education.