Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Uzbekistan

Alleged Islamist Leader On Trial In Uzbekistan

(RFE/RL)

September 22, 2006 -- Independent news reports from Uzbekistan say the trial of an alleged leader of the banned Hizb ut-Tahrir radical Islamic grouping opened on September 21 in Tashkent.

TEXT SIZE - +

September 22, 2006

Komiljon Usmanov faces charges of threatening Uzbekistan's constitutional order and public security.

Usmanov, who is now 33, was sentenced in 2001 to 10 years in jail on similar charges, but was then freed under an amnesty.

He denies the accusations brought against him.

(uznews.net, muslimuzbekistan.net)

Hizb Ut-Tahrir

Arms and leaflets allegedly confiscated from Hizb ut-Tahrir members in Kyrgyzstan in May (RFE/RL)

ATTRACTIVE TO THE YOUNG: It is virtually impossible to estimate the size or composition of Hizb ut-Tahrir's membership in Central Asia, because the controversial movement is banned in most places. But some observers say anecdotal evidence suggests the group's core of younger members is growing....(more)

Russia Approves List Of 17 'Terrorist' Groups

Extremist Threats, And Doubts, In Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

Hizb Ut-Tahrir’s Calls For Islamic State Find Support

Hizb Ut-Tahrir Challenges Britian's Proposed Ban

Lone Islamic Party Pursues Dual Path In Tajikistan

A thematic webpage devoted to issues of religious tolerance in RFE/RL's broadcast region and around the globe.

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

Production and distribution of rap music is not officially banned, but it

Yo! Turkmen Rappers Flip The Script On Repression

For a growing number of Turkmen youth, rap music has become a way to express their daily struggles and inspire political change in one of the world's most oppressive countries. More