Formation of a secular state in Uzbekistan

The development of a religious identity among the masses in Central Asia has caused some researchers to worry and fear Islamism. Uzbekistan demonstrates by example how to combine the deep religiosity of the population and elites. The purpose of this article is to identify the distinctive features of Uzbekistan as a secular state by tracing the history of its formation. The research used a historical and dialectical approach: the historical and genetic method to trace the secular principles of statehood in Uzbekistan and the dialectical method to determine the causes of emerging and disappearing social processes. This paper examines the complicated journey of Uzbekistan towards secularism, separating it into four developmental phases: theocratic, early liberal, Soviet, and modern secular. The findings show that historical and sociopolitical factors, especially the impact of Islamic customs and Soviet-era regulations, have influenced Uzbekistan’s secularism. A type of ‘regulated secularism’ has been formed in contemporary Uzbekistan, striking a balance between official supervision of religious activities and the separation of religion and the state. The study comes to the conclusion that Uzbekistan’s secular model offers a unique way to secular administration in cultures with a majority of Muslims, but it also limits religious freedoms to preserve interfaith harmony, even as it fosters stability. This study adds to the science with a new periodisation of the history of Uzbekistan, rethinking the criteria of the ‘secularity of the state’, and exposes stereotypes about the countries of Central Asia.