Islam After Communism: Religion and Politics in Central Asia

Being a grandson for a man who suffered from the Bolshevik revolution and a man who left his country for the sake of his faith, I consider myself as a part of this book. I have not finished the book yet, but until now what I have gained from this book are three things: 1- New information about the hidden history of central Asia at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. And the role of the Muslim scholars "the Ulama" at that time. 2- A refreshment of what I have been told by grandparents about the soviet assault on Islam and the way they fought to keep it. 3- A new and clear picture of Islam and its meaning in central Asia nowadays. If you want to know what Islam is to Central Asians I recommend this book.

[*Note: The following review is of select portions of the book, Islam after Communism, by Adeeb Khalid. It takes into account the Introduction, Chapters 1-3 and 5, and the Conclusion] Islam after Communism is an attempt to convince the reader that the notion of "Islam" as a fixed set of (1) rules, (2) practices, (3) ideas--indeed, a fixed anything--that exists independent of political, economical, and other historical changes, is a fallacious assumption. The author, Adeeb Khalid, attempts to accomplish this feat primarily through the examples of the profound transformations the seventy-three-year period (1918-1991) of Soviet authority rendered in the religious, political, educational, and cultural understandings of Islam by the Muslim populations of Central Asia. His basic concern seems to be the deconstruction of the "Western essentialist" view of Islam: That it is (1) political by nature, (2) intolerant of other ideologies (religious, economic, and political), (3) oppressive to women, (4) militant in achieving its aims, and (5) that the most important thing to EVERY Muslim is that the tenets of Islam be upheld at ALL costs. Although the author is rather opinionated (and repetitive), he is a good story teller. The book is an interesting, smooth read. I recommend it for anybody interested in the history of the Soviet Union, the Communist influence in Central Asia and on Central Asian Muslims, and/or the history of the Muslim peoples. This is a history book, not a book about Islamic religion per se.

One cannot consider themselves knowledgeable in the slightest about Central Asia if they have not read this book. Basically, the states of Central Asia are more a threat against Muslims then Muslims are a threat to the states. Written for a general audience, though still scholarship at the highest level. A must read.