Kyrgyzstan: Nationwide Protests to Bear an Islamic Stamp

As opposition parties around Kyrgyzstan gear up for promised demonstrations in mid-December, one new party is using religion to cement its appeal. Two prominent opposition leaders, Tursunbai Bakir uulu of Free Kyrgyzstan and Nurlan Motuev of the Kyrgyz Patriotic Party, recently announced their unification as the Kyrgyzstan Muslim Union and promised nationwide protests throughout the country in mid-December.

At a press conference announcing their party on November 25, Bakir uulu and Motuev described their support.

"We prayed with believers, then we talked with them outside the mosque. Over six days we visited three regions and met 80,000 people," Motuev said. Co-Chair Tursunbai Bakir uulu claimed that 95 to 98 percent of the people they met supported their plans.

The Kyrgyzstan Muslim Union plans to start protest rallies on December 16 in Naryn and finish on December 24 in Bishkek, covering all seven of the country's regional centers in eight days.

Corruption and the misuse of resources are at the center of the Muslim Union's agenda. Referring to the presidency of Kurmanbek Bakiev, Motuev explained: "Corruption and other bad things flourish in this power. These are rejected by Islam and Sharia law."

The Muslim Union will demand an end to alleged corruption in the president's family, food price stabilization, a decrease in the price of coal and electricity, and checks on how the president appoints officials. "If authorities do not follow our demands, we will demand the resignation of all government officials," said Bakir uulu.

Already the group has faced obstacles. The Kyrgyz constitution forbids political parties from organizing along religious lines. But the organization is making no attempt to hide their intentions. "We cannot be registered as a Muslim party and that's why we have to register as a union," Motuev said. "But you should consider the Kyrgyzstan Muslim Union a party."

Tursunbai Bakir uulu is already a well-known politician. In his run for president in 2005, he positioned himself as the only true Muslim on the ballot, winning slightly less than four percent of the vote. He is also quick to point out his sober credentials.

"We represent a moderate Islam and are opposed to radicals," he told EurasiaNet.

"Before joining with another politician, I thought of all politicians and realized there was not a true Muslim among them," Bakir uulu said. "First, I met Nurlan Motuev praying in the Central Mosque. Then I saw him praying in the prison. In a difficult time, he didn't leave Allah and his faith. So my choice was with him."

Some observers were surprised at the choice. Motuev is widely regarded as something of an oddball in Kyrgyz politics, known for outlandish accusations. He is infamous for illegally seizing a coalmine in 2005 and spending some time in prison a year later. [For details, see the Eurasia Insight archive]. This October he staged a protest against the presence of US troops at the Manas Airbase outside of Bishkek. He burned a US flag and effigy of President George W. Bush in front of a small crowd, claiming the Muslims of Kyrgyzstan would unite to push the US out of the country.

Observers say Bakir uulu needed a northerner to bolster support for the alliance and spread its appeal beyond his native South.

As Islam spreads in Kyrgyzstan, the union's political blend may have a cadre of likely followers. "Allah will save our country," a teenager from the Chuy valley who gave his name as Nursultan said. The 16-year-old prays five times a day in his village, where the majority of young people are unemployed, including his two older brothers.

Kadyr Malikov, an expert on Islam at the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavonic University in Bishkek, described the upswing in religious practice.

"The process of Islamization [in Kyrgyzstan] is very fast. Seventy percent of the population consider themselves Muslim. It is inevitable and natural that during a social-economical crisis, believers become politicized. Unfortunately, the ruling Soviet elite lacks flexibility . . . It relies heavily on control and repression," he said.

"We have been warning the Kyrgyz government about possible religious protests since 2005. We said that there were politicians who were ready to use religious slogans in political games. Now Tursunbai Bakir uulu and Nurlan Motuev are the first to legitimize Muslim political discourse," Malikov said.

The Kyrgyz Muslim Union emerges at a time of increased religious tension in the country's South. In October, villagers in Osh region protested when authorities did not allow them to hold festivities marking the end of Ramadan. On November 28, 32 people were sentenced to between nine and 20 years for participating in disorderly demonstrations. Authorities allege all are members of the banned Hizb-ut-Tahrir party.

Still, Kyrgyzstan's official Muslim Spiritual Board does not believe that this is a major shift in the country's religious dynamics.

"Our society is not ready for Muslim leadership," Asan Saipov, the Board's press secretary, told EurasiaNet. The public organization regulates Muslim affairs, including mosque activities and organizing the yearly Hajj. "I am not sure that Tursunbai Bakir uulu is a person who can lead the Muslim community," Saipov continued. "Of course, some people who consider themselves Muslim may follow him. But they must know he wants only power."

But Bakir uulu remains resolute. "True Muslims will support us; that's why we are full of optimism," he said.