Media Advisory

For Immediate Release (11/23/99)

National Press Club Newsmaker
On
"The Rise of Radicalism in Central Asia"

Recently, the International Religious Freedom Report has put the Uzbeki government under close scrutiny regarding alleged human rights abuses based on "religious persecution." There have been several hearings on Capitol Hill regarding this issue, but there is undoubtedly a lack of education on the subject. Radicalism, in various forms, has made significant inroads in several countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus – particularly the countries that share the Ferghana Valley. Known as fundamentalism or "Wahhabism," it poses a direct challenge to the ideal vision of a state that the newly-founded nations of the region have embraced. In addition, it represents a serious challenge to the theology and practice of the mainstream Sunni Islam to which most of the population adheres. If its development continues unchecked, radical interpretations could threaten social stability at the local, national, and regional levels and create serious geopolitical dangers to which neighboring powers, as well as the U.S. and Europe would have to react.

Introduction by Dr. Hedieh Mirahmadi, General Secretary, ISCA

Speakers:

H.E. Abdur-Rashid Kory Bakromov, Mufti of Uzbekistan

H.E. Ambassador Sodyq Safaev, Ambassador of the Republic Uzbekistan to the U.S.

When: Tuesday, November 30, 1999 at 12 pm

Where: National Press Club, Zenger Room

For more information, contact Ms. Dilshad Fakroddin, Press Secretary at (202) 661-4654 or staff@islamicsupremecouncil.org