A Molotov Cocktail in the Age of Terror: Proliferation of Russian WMD and the Spread of Radical Islamism in Central Asia

Central Asia and Islamism

Having established the existence of largely unsecured weapons of mass destruction in Russia, one may take comfort in the notion that most terror attacks to date involved jihadists advocating radical Islamism. A predominantly Eastern Orthodox nation, Russia’s connection to Islamism’s doctrine of hate may seem tenuous. Nonetheless, it is linked to radical Islam through its former Central Asian constituent states, including Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan,  and Kazakhstan. Before proceeding, it is useful to examine the rise of Islam inCentral Asia following the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Naturally, Islam was repressed throughout the Soviet era as a part of Moscow’s attempt to eradicate religion.

As the USSR weakened in the late 1980’s, there was a resurgence of Islam focused on “restoring the rights of Muslims to worship freely.”^[16] This movement was quickly politicized, as citizens of Central Asian states endured economic hardship and political instability. For instance, young Muslims formed armed brigades in an effort to stem the crime that plagued Uzbekistan during its transition to independence and later founded the Adalat (justice) Movement that demands enforcement of Sharia law.^[17] Though well suppressed by the Uzbekistani government, some proponents of this movement joined Islamic fighters throughout Central Asia, eventually forming the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.^[18] While this group was rendered largely ineffectual thanks to the U.S. presence in Afghanistan, it is an important example of how quickly radical Islamism can develop in a troubled nation.

More recently, Central Asia became the home of yet another Islamic movement, known as Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami (The Party of Islamic Liberation). Originally created to promote the liberation of Palestine, this party has a global agenda whereby all Muslim lands will be united under Islamic law and a single caliphate. While it does not directly promote violence and argues that the murder of innocents goes against Islam, Hizb ut-Tahrir does support absolute supremacy of Sharia and claims that Iranand Saudi Arabiado not qualify as “Islamic states” due to their less rigid application of Muslim law.^[19] Furthermore, the organization’s literature provides some “ideological justification” for violence and the group admitted to participating in several failed coups throughout the Middle East.^[20] While there is no concrete proof that Hizb ut-Tahrir is associated with terrorist organizations per se, researchers at the International Crisis Group claim that it is associated with “groups much less scrupulous about violence.”

Regardless of its involvement with terrorist organizations, this party promotes a form of Islam that requires absolute obedience to Sharia and the establishment of an Islamic world-order as a counter balance to the West. With only 15 to 20 thousand members throughout Central Asia, Hizb ut-Tahrir is, at this point, a relatively small movement.^[21] However, poverty and social disjuncture bred a population ideally suited for the promotion of this party’s agenda. InUzbekistan, it attracts political discontents who yearn for an opportunity to speak against repressive government, while also providing social structure and meaning for a generation that came of age in the ideological vacuum that characterized the fall of Communism. Under these conditions, it is but a matter of time before Hizb ut-Tahrir enjoys vastly increased popularity.

Despite the peaceful tone of recent years, the former Soviet republics already experienced violence as a result of radical Islamism. Tajikistanwas the site of a civil war between its pro-Russian government and militant Muslim rebels who hoped to establish an Islamic state.^[22] This four year conflict resulted in the death of over 100,000 people, making it the bloodiest struggle between an established Central Asian government and Islamic extremists to date.^[23] After a cease-fire was signed in 1996, the leader of the Islamic Renaissance Party joined the government in an attempt at power-sharing. While this arrangement brought peace to the region, there can be no doubt that militant Islamists have simply veiled their aggressive tendencies and are gathering strength while awaiting an opportune moment to strike. In fact, Abdusamat A. Khaydarov, former Uzbekistani Ambassador to Iran and Afghanistan, stated that terrorists attempted to kill the president of Uzbekistan in 1999.^[24]