Restriction of Protestant groups in Uzbekistan

[heikediguoren]

The Protestant faith seems to have undergone some attack recently in Uzbekistan, as detailed here:

Uzbek Police Reportedly Raided Protestant Camp
PRAGUE, September 7, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- A Norwegian-based rights group says armed police and security officers last month raided a Protestant summer camp in Uzbekistan.
Forum 18 quotes eyewitnesses as saying the raid took place on August 24 in a village located near the southern city of Termez. Some 20 people were detained and religious literature was confiscated.

Forum 18 says that five of the detainees were released on September 4. One, identified as Husan Primbetov, remains in custody. The detainees had reportedly been ill-treated.


http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/09/66F9DC11-DA9D-483A-9F65-B7357B9E3F08.html

A court on Wednesday ordered the closure of a U.S. charity for allegedly trying to convert Uzbeks to Christianity, Uzbekistan's Justice Ministry said, amid a continuing clampdown on foreign-funded aid groups in the tightly controlled, largely Muslim country.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/06/asia/AS_GEN_Uzbekistan_Aid_Group.php

The crackdown suggests two possible political motivations: A Muslim attempt to ensure Islam's role as the sole faith in Uzbekistan, or a nationalist impulse to rid the country of foreign influence. The latter seems more likely, as the second article states:

Karimov's government also harshly persecutes Muslims who practice outside state-sanctioned mosques, branding them extremists. <!-- body text end --><!-- google_ad_region_end=article_body -->

[Lazarus]

...The crackdown suggests two possible political motivations: A Muslim attempt to ensure Islam's role as the sole faith in Uzbekistan, or a nationalist impulse to rid the country of foreign influence. The latter seems more likely, as the second article states:...
<!-- body text end --><!-- google_ad_region_end=article_body -->I dont know why you would come to such a conclusion after having just posted the following statements:

Some 20 people were detained and religious literature was confiscated...and...A court on Wednesday ordered the closure of a U.S. charity for allegedly trying to convert Uzbeks to Christianity...What exactly is it about those two comments leads you to believe that crackdown was not "A Muslim attempt to ensure Islam's role as the sole faith in Uzbekistan"?

[NowhereMan]

The fact that they are equally harsh to Muslims who practice outside State mosques suggests it's the government trying to keep control over the people rather than simply a pro-Islamic push.

[Lazarus]

Bullshit!

[NowhereMan]

The hell?

If you can clearly explain how cracking down on any religious groups, outisde of the official state sanctioned and observed ones, equates to an attack on Christianity by Islam in Uzbekistan then I guess I deserved that. However this isn't about Muslims trying to crush the infidels, this is about a totalitarian government trying to crush any groups that allow people to speak without the government observing or recieving information not controlled and edited by the government.

If your response is going to be along the lines of "but they're state government is Muslim so this means it can only be motivated by an Islamic hatred of Christianity. Oh, and cracking down on other Muslims? That's a red herring to make us think this Soviet style government is just a totalitarian nightmare solely concerned with maintaining its crushing grip on its population and not EVIL MUSELEMZ!!11!!1" then just don't.

[DoctorDoom]

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[Lazarus]

...If you can clearly explain how cracking down on any religious groups, outisde of the official state sanctioned and observed ones, equates to an attack on Christianity by Islam in Uzbekistan then I guess I deserved that...Can you not read? Lets recap, shall we?

...A court on Wednesday ordered the closure of a U.S. charity for allegedly trying to convert Uzbeks to Christianity... Is that CLEAR enough for you? What part of that statement is confusing to you?

[cerberus]

The point, Laz, is that the Karimov government does this sort of thing to any religious group they view as a threat be it Chritian OR Muslim. Karimov isn't some Islamic extremist, he's a former Soviet apparachik who wants to stay in power.