The Gradual Rise of Religious Radicalism in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

The topic of this study is the definition of religious radicalization and radicalism and detection of its presence and degree among the young people in the Kyrgyz Republic. Although Kyrgyzstan is officially a secular state, it is a Muslim majority country, as mainly individuals preach Islam, including the youth. The latter, due to their cognitive perception and the role of an important socio-economic and political component of the Kyrgyz population, are also delving into religious issues in the search of self-identification.1 However, this process is accompanied by risks of growing religious radicalism, despite the absence of a proper state definition. This academic gap will be analyzed in the current legislation and state position. Given the fact of radicalization of the Kyrgyzstan youth, the question remains whether religious radicalism is present among the youth of Kyrgyzstan and to what extent. The research will be quantitative, since a survey method among students of Kyrgyz universities will be used to determine the radicalism and its degree. This method will provide careful monitoring of the radicalization concept among students and answer the research question. Students of the Kyrgyz-Turkish University of Manas and students of the Islamic University of Kyrgyzstan will take part in the survey. This work aims at confirming the hypothesis that religious radicalism is present to a significant extent among the youth of Kyrgyzstan. The significance of this work lies in the contribution of the definition of religious radicalization as a socio-political phenomenon and the precise degree establishment of its spread in the Kyrgyz Republic.