The explosions and gunfire that have rocked the former Soviet republic
dramatically raised fears of an onslaught of regional terrorism that could
send tremors as far as Washington and Moscow. Central Asian leaders
particularly fear militants of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan as well as
Hizb ut-Tahrir, a group that calls for a world ruled by shariah, Islamic
law. In recent years, all the region’s leaders have clamped down on
observant Muslims – although none as brutally as the Uzbek authorities, who
have jailed thousands and persecuted both the religious and secular
opposition. Analysts predict that the violence in Uzbekistan will inspire
new crackdowns in the region.
Lack of information from the Uzbek government leads to many speculations and
rumours about the identities and intentions of the terrorists. We are left
with more questions than answers.
– Do the attacks have anything to do with postponed democratic processes and economic prosperity in Uzbekistan, as was promised by Karimov’s regime in 2002? And what are the effects on democratisation processes in the region?
– What are the identities and intentions of the terrorists?
– Did the attacks come from abroad as Uzbekistans president Karimov stated? Is this the first sign of Al-Qaeda in Central Asia?
– What does it mean for the “War on Terrorism”? And what is involvement of the Netherlands in the “War on Terrorism” in Central Asia?
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Programme
Chairman: prof. Wim Stokhof (IIAS)
1. Introduction: living in Uzbekistan.
dr. Mirzohid Rahimov, Senior Researcher, Institute of History of the Uzbek Academy of Sciences, Tashkent
2. Short documentary about Uzbekistan
3. Al-Qaeda in Uzbekistan?
Prof. Touraj Atabaki, professor of Social History of the Middle East and Central Asia at the Department of History of the University of Amsterdam.
4. Security issues in Uzbekistan.
dr. Mehdi Amineh (IIAS)
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For more information on the programme contact ASiA:
Tel: 020 525 2619
E-mail: asianstudies@fmg.uva.nl
http://go.to/asianstudies
11 MAY 2004 / 19.00 – 21.30 hrs.
KIT Tropentheater, the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) and
Asian Studies in Amsterdam (ASiA) cordially invite you.
KIT Tropentheater, Kleine Zaal
Linnaeusstraat 2, Amsterdam
Entrance: 7,50 Euro
Tel. 020-5688500
Asian Studies
The International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS)