Uzbekistan (MNN) ― Uzbekistan's religious freedom seems to be dwindling in the past few years. Forum 18 has reported this year that the rise in oppression has included police raids, detentions of believers and deportations of foreigners participating in religious activities.
Slavic Gospel Association's Joel Griffith said they have work there, though it is not as extensive as their work in other former Soviet countries. They sponsor some church-planting missionaries and children's summer camps and ministries.
Griffith explained that often the desire to maintain the state religion is a sign of loyalty to one's country. "I think you're seeing some of that attitude on display in Uzbekistan with some of these recent attacks on state-run media against other religious minorities."
Forum 18 reported that the state recently released an anti-missionary documentary for television called "In the Clutches of Ignorance." Aired May 16, it features several political and religious leaders who take a critical view of missionary work and even accused missionaries who get funds from abroad of undermining the Islamic faith. It also accuses them of targeting "those with low political awareness and weak-willed young people, as well as minors."
When the official religions are practiced nominally, the government is content. However, outside groups with extra zeal seem to get the attention of the government who tries to oppose them in any way possible. "They have had an awful lot of problems with Muslim extremism and, because of that, they tend to keep a very tight lid on all religious activity--even that which is officially recognized. They really have a negative view of anything that they would consider to be extreme or missionary activities," said Griffith.
In the documentary, missionary activities were put on the same plane as the global problems of "religious dogmatism, fundamentalism, terrorism, and drug addiction." The Forum 18 report said one member of a religious minority group stated that some people are "afraid to go out in the street where they live for fear of being persecuted." However, the same Forum 18 report said those in Uzbekistan "who understand a little bit about what is going on in the country sympathize with us."
Griffith asks that we pray "that there would be a change in heart of the leadership, that they would realize that evangelical churches believe in good citizenship. They believe in doing good works, and they are typically supportive...as long as the ruling authorities don't do something that is outside of God's will."
