Encyclopedia of Islam

Karimov, Islam Abdughanievich

  

(1938–  )  president of Uzbekistan

Islam Karimov came to power as first secretary of 

the Communist Party of Uzbekistan in 1989 and 

was named president of the Uzbek Soviet Social-

ist Republic in 1990. Shortly after Uzbekistan’s 

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Karimov, Islam Abdughanievich

---

independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, 

President Karimov declared himself victor in the 

state’s first presidential election with 86 percent 

of the vote. He was reelected in 2000 with 91.9 

percent of the vote, and a referendum in January 

2002 extended what is supposed to be Karimov’s 

final term to 2007 by amending the constitution 

to allow for presidential terms of seven years. 

Born in Samarkand, Karimov studied engineer-

ing and economics and began his career in the 

government in 1966, where he moved up through 

his work with the State Planning Committee. 

Nevertheless, he was considered a political out-

sider when Mikhail Gorbachev chose him for first 

secretary.

Since the collapse of the USSR Karimov has 

solidified his control over Uzbekistan. He has out-

lawed all significant secular and religious political 

parties and sent those opposition figures not in 

exile to prison. Since September 11, 2001, rela-

tions between the Karimov regime and the United 

States have grown stronger. With American troops 

now stationed in the country, Uzbekistan has been 

used as a staging ground for operations in neigh-

boring  a

Fghanistan

. This strategic relationship 

has lessened the outside pressure on Karimov to 

reform his increasingly repressive and authoritar-

ian rule.

Islam Karimov, of course, is not anti-Islam, and 

his regime has supported mosque construction 

and shrine-restoration since independence. There 

is very little tolerance, however, for mosques 

or Islamic teachings outside of state control. In 

recent years, all opposition has been branded as 

“fundamentalist” and “extremist.” For example, 

in 1997 when four policemen were killed in gang 

violence in the Fergana Valley, Islamic groups 

were blamed and mass arrests of Muslims took 

place. While some Islamic political groups do 

exist underground in Uzbekistan, their member-

ship is very minimal.

See also  c

entral

  a

sia

 

and

 

the

  c

aUcasUs

; 

commUnism

.

David Reeves