Uzbekistan: Treatment of Muslims who leave their faith, marry Christians and later raise their children as Christians
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 29 November 2002 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | UZB39920.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Uzbekistan: Treatment of Muslims who leave their faith, marry Christians and later raise their children as Christians, 29 November 2002, UZB39920.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4e360.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom's (USCIRF's) 2002 annual report on international religious freedom,
[t]he conditions for religious freedom are very poor in Uzbekistan. In addition to a highly restrictive law on religion that severely limits the ability of minority religions to function, the Uzbek government in recent years has been harshly cracking down on Muslim individuals, groups, and mosques that do not conform to government-prescribed ideas on how the Islamic faith should be practiced and expressed. This crackdown has resulted in the arrests of thousands of persons and there are credible reports that many have been and continue to be tortured in detention, torture that in some cases has led to the death of those detained (United States May 2002a, 63).
Since 1999, the government of Uzbekistan has arrested, tortured, and imprisoned thousands of Muslims who reject the state's control over religious practice. It continues to exercise excessive control over all religious practice in that country (ibid. 13).
According to the Report on Uzbekistan by the USCIRF, the population of Uzbekistan is approximately 75 to 80 per cent Uzbek, five per cent Russian and five per cent Tajik, with the remainder of the population consisting of various other groups including Kazakhs, Tatars and Karakalpaks (ibid. May 2002b, 2). The report goes on to state that
Uzbeks and Tajiks (as well as other Central Asian groups) are predominantly Sunni Muslim; the Russians in the region are generally Russian Orthodox. A small number of Catholics [are] usually from among the ethnic Germans or Poles ... and, more recently, small groups of Protestants have also emerged (ibid.).
In addition, there are approximately 30,000 Ashkenazy and Bukharan Jews in Uzbekistan (Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2002 7 Oct. 2002, sec. 1).
On the issue of religious conversion, the Report on Uzbekistan by the USCIRF indicates that
The Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2002 points out that
Christian churches generally are tolerated as long as they do not attempt to win converts among ethnic Uzbeks. Christians who are ethnic Uzbeks are secretive about their faith and rarely attempt to register their organizations. Christian congregations that are of mixed ethnic background often face difficulties in registering, or are reluctant to list their Uzbek members on registration lists for fear of incurring official displeasure.
...
The Government often monitors and harasses those who openly try to convert Muslims to Christianity. ...
The Government bans the teaching of religious subjects in schools and also prohibits the private teaching of religious principles. (7 Oct. 2002, sec. II).
...
Members of ethnic groups that traditionally are associated with Islam who convert to Christianity sometimes encounter particular societal and low-level governmental hostility (7 Oct. 2002, sec. III).
Paragraph 267 of the Republic of Uzbekstan's initial report, which was submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Committee under Article 40 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on 2 June 1999 states that
[r]ecruitment of minors to religious organizations, and teaching them religion against their will or the will of their parents or persons in loco parentis, is punishable by a fine of from 50 to 70 times the minimum wage, or corrective work for two to three years, or deprivation of liberty for up to three years (15 February 2000).
Additional and/or corroborating information concerning the above could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Annual Report on International Religious Freedom for 2002. 7 October 2002. United States Department of State. Washington, DC. United Nations, Human Rights Committee. 15 February 2000. Republic of Uzbekistan. 2 June 1999. Initial Reports of States Parties Due in 1996: Uzbekistan. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (CCPR/C/UZB/99/1). United States. May 2002a. United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Annual Report of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. _____. May 2002b. USCIRF. Report on Uzbekistan. Additional Sources Consulted
LEXIS/NEXIS
World News Connection
Internet sites, including:
Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe Freedom House.
Human Rights Watch International Helsinki Federation Radio Free Europe Uzbekistan National News Agency Search engine:
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