Last month, the Kyrgyz State National Security Service detained about 10 people in the city of Osh, who are suspected of departure for Syria to implement jihad and involvement in terrorist groups.

According to information circulated by the Kyrgyz State National Security Committee, most of the detainees are suspected of involvement in fighting on the side of antigovernment forces in Syria, who after return to Osh callpeople to jihad.

“We are believers, not jihadists.”

According to some residents of Osh, these days the local authorities have increased pressure on ordinary believers under the pretext of detention of members of different terrorist groups.

A resident from Osh, who asked Jarayon not to mention his name for security reasons, said that recently the intelligence services of Kyrgyzstan have given a verbal instruction to activists of makhallyas (makhallya is a traditional Uzbek city neighborhood – Jarayon’s note) to collect information about adherence of residents of their areas to this or that religionor religious group, and what religious education is practiced in their territories.

“As a result, many male believers have been forced to shave their beards and even change their clothes. Women, who received religious education at home,have been forced to suspend their education,” said our interlocutor.

Another source told Jarayon that his older brother has caught the eyes oflaw enforcers because of his beard and daily prayer.

“My brother used to pray and have a beard. He is a car repair mechanic. Recently law enforcers dressed in civilian clothes came to our home, asked my brother to go outside. After that they arrested him and took him away. In the department, they started beating my brother without any explanations. First, they demanded money. And when my brother told them “I don’t have money now”, they took his cell phone and documents, and released him. There were recorded religious sermons and videos in his phone, but they were not considered banned. After two or three days my brother was taken to the National Security Committee. It turned out the policemenpassed his documents to the special services.

That day,they searched our house. There were Islamic books and CDs with religious sermons in our house that are sold outside mosques. They put them together in one pile and videotaped. Later we found out that they put religious books and CDs banned in Kyrgyzstan next to our books and CDs, videotaped them and showed via the media thus having blackened my brother. There were no such books and CDs in our house. My brother is kept in the temporary detention center of the National Security Committee,” said our source.

Jarayon’s third interlocutor said that security service representativesextorted money from Osh men, whose affiliation to terrorist and extremist organizations has not been proven; they want US $500 from each man.

“Security service representatives detain and checkfaithful men with beards. And if it turns out that a detainee does not belong to any banned organization, and if there are no religious records in his phone, if generally speaking he is clean, security service representatives let him go for US $500. They openly declare to detained men: “We spent money on your arrest, so we must cover what we lost, pay us $500, after that you can get out of here,” said our interlocutor.

State security is the main issue

Such inspections conducted by intelligence officers intensified after Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev spoke at the Defence Council session on February 3, 2014 about the religious situation in the country.

“We have a good Kyrgyz proverb: “Chalamoldo din buzat”(Bad mullah distorts religion). Some so-called Muslims mix Arab and other cultures, and tryto impose culture alien for Kyrgyzstan through traditions, customs, clothes and demeanor. More women can be seen on city and village streetswrapped up in hijabs, burkas and men with beards and dressed in religious trousers,” Kyrgyzstan President Almazbek Atambayev said at the Defence Council session.

In addition, President Atambayev criticized activities of the Spiritual Board of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan.

After Atambayev’s speech atthe Defence Council session, imams from mosquesstarted conducting explanatory work among believers, especially during Friday prayers. According to Jarayon’s sources, Kyrgyzsecurity officers began checking imams. In addition, they have imams write statements that they will preach only Hanafi madhhab among Muslims (Hanafi madhhab is one of the four schools of law in Sunni Islam, its founder is Abu Hanifa).

“There are so many international organizations in our country. If they want to help us, we will not mind that. However, we will not allow them spreadingpolitics and religion in our contrary that contradict the Hanafi madhhab. We are supportedby the president and scholars. Some believers obtain knowledge in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Turkey or Egypt although they must carry out their religious activities exclusively according to the Hanafi madhhab,” said Kyrgyzstan Mufti MaksatHaji Toktomushev.

According to Kyrgyz observers, the government needs to seriously consider problems of the society in the religious sphere; otherwise it can become a threat to the national security.

Social problems – locomotive for jihadist movements?

Recently, the mass media often reportsabout the increasing number of residents of Central Asia, who go to Syria for jihad.

Residents of the Fergana Valley, where the borders of three Central Asian countries intersect – Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, have been religiously active since the beginning of time.

Currently, the town of Kyzylkiya, Kyrgyzstan,has turned into a transit center for Uzbekistanand Tajikistan citizens, who go to Syria to join anti-government forces for jihad after they have gotten tired of the pressure put on believers in their countries.

According to analysts, young people living in the southern cities of Kyrgyzstan such as Osh, Jalalabad and Batken, go to Syria because of unsolved social problems, existing injustice in the country and material needs.

It still remains unknown who and how recruitthese guys for ‘jihad’.

However, as no visas are required for Kyrgyzstan citizens to travel to Turkey, the authorities have been unable to determine the number of believers going to Syria.

Ubaidullo SOKHIB