Radical Islam in Central Asia: Between Pen and Rifle: Between Pen and Rifle

This original study by distinguished scholar Vitaly V. Naumkin offers an authoritative analysis of the key militant Islamic organizations in Central Asia. Long veiled in secrecy, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Hizb at-Tahrir al-Islami, and the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan are illuminated here for the first time. Based on Naumkin’s extensive fieldwork and an unprecedented array of primary sources, the book explains the roots and causes of Islamic militancy, explores the history of political Islam in Central Asia, and presents a comparative analysis of radical organizations and their doctrines. Bringing in the human dimension through his exploration of the lives of key Islamic figures and providing fresh insight into the balance between peaceful and militant struggles for power used by Islamic movements, the author considers the possibility of dialogue with the Islamists and the power-sharing experiment that brought former radicals into the Tajik government. All those interested in the development of political Islam will find this study an invaluable resource.

Vitaly Naumkin is president of the International Center for Strategic and Political Studies and professor at Moscow State University.