Global Voices » Alexander Sodiqov

‘Uzbek Princess’ in Social Media

Alexander Sodiqov — Sat, 04 May 2013 02:29:13 +0000

Gulnara Karimova, the daughter of the infamous President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan, is very different from the children of the leaders of other countries in Central Asia. A Harvard graduate, she has served as Uzbekistan's ambassador to UN in Geneva. She has also launched a pop singing career, a fashion line, a perfume, and a charity. Karimova is also very active in social media, and her provocative Twitter posts and photos shared on Instagram often raise eyebrows among the mostly conservative audiences in Uzbekistan and other countries in the region. Blogger Ayana Seidimbek presents [ru, en] a collection of the most controversial posts and images the ‘Uzbek princess’ has shared in social media.

Turkmen Leader Falls off Horse

Alexander Sodiqov — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:11:27 +0000

On April 28, President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov of Turkmenistan and his horse won a race in Ashgabat. Soon after crossing the finish line, however, Berdymukhamedov's horse stumbled and he landed on the dirt. The footage of the embarrassing incident had been made public by international media, and Turkmen dissidents are using the video as an opportunity to ridicule the ‘record-breaking’ president. Blog Ruslana T presents several videos which link the Turkmen leader's spill with episodes from popular Soviet and Hollywood films (here, here, and here).

Cartoon: Girls Prevented from Leaving Kyrgyzstan

Alexander Sodiqov — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 15:41:59 +0000

Art group '705′ has produced a two-minute animation film on the increasing social restrictions that girls and women in Kyrgyzstan face in trying to leave the country in search of work.

The artists describe [ru] their film, ‘Did Not Let Go,’ as follows:

A father had a bad dream which now troubles him. So, he decides that his daughter will not travel anywhere. He takes away her passport and air tickets while she is sleeping, but the daughter takes the documents back. Finally, the father decides to lock his daughter at home to prevent her from leaving.

Thousands of girls and women leave the Central Asian country every year, mainly for Russia, where some of them are subjected to ‘patriotic’ attacks from their male counterparts from Kyrgyzstan. A member of the Kyrgyz parliament has recently proposed a bill that would ban girls under 23 years of age from leaving the country without parental consent in order to ‘protect’ them.

NewEurasia.net has more on the new art by group '705′. The group became popular in Kyrgyzstan and some other countries in Central Asia by producing animation films that address the role and status of women in a patriarchal society.

Kazakhstan's First Ever Lesbian Wedding

Alexander Sodiqov — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:51:05 +0000

Vox Populi presents a photo report [ru] about what they call the “first ever lesbian wedding” in Kazakhstan. The photo blog explains:

This was a real wedding. With limousines. With friends and guests. With champagne. With congratulatory speeches. You might ask, “but what about the law?” You see, love does not recognize the law. This is why the wedding took place. However, it was not [registered by the state]. Same-sex marriage are not allowed [in Kazakhstan].

‘Awe-Inspiring Fortresses’ in Eastern Tajikistan

Alexander Sodiqov — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:35:28 +0000

Caravanistan presents a collection of images of the “awe-inspiriting fortresses” in the eastern Tajik region of Badakhshan (or GBAO). The ruins of these fortresses, some of which are still used by Tajik border guards, suggest that “life was once very different here”.

‘Poor’ Coverage of Boston Marathon Bombing in Media

Alexander Sodiqov — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:17:22 +0000

Matthew Kupfer on Registan blog offers an explanation for the “poor” coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing in American media:

…[M]uch information has been misunderstood due to lack of knowledge about the Caucasus or Russia and a desire to present the suspects in a framework easily understandable to the American public.

‘Farmers Know Better’ in Turkmenistan

Alexander Sodiqov — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:42:17 +0000

The president of Turkmenistan has announced [ru] that a district which would grow most cotton and wheat this year in the natural gas-rich country would receive an award of one million U.S. dollars. An exiled Turkmen blogger comments [ru] angrily:

When will [the Turkmen leader] finally understand that the planned economy is not working? In order for the cotton sector to develop, cotton should be grown by private farms. Wouldn't farmers be able to decide better how much cotton they should sow? Does the [president] sitting on a golden toilet in [the Turkmen capital] Ashgabat really know better how much cotton can be grown in the country than a person working on a field?

‘Addictive’ Social Network is Back in Uzbekistan

Alexander Sodiqov — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:17:33 +0000

After going offline for about a week, the top Russian-language social network service Odnoklassniki has become available again to tens of thousands of users in Uzbekistan. Blogger Doch’ Bukhari (Bukhara's Daughter) explains [ru] why Internet users in the Central Asian country choose this social network over other ones and why the network is “addictive like a drug”.

Tajikistan: ‘High Heels for Higher Learning’

Alexander Sodiqov — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 01:50:01 +0000

Emma Sabzalieva writes about the controversy surrounding a dress code introduced recently at a university in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. The dress code requires that female students wear high heeled shoes and single-block color clothes to classes. The blogger asks:

Could it really be that the rector believes that ordering such a dress code <…> will enhance female students’ learning experience? Will it make them smarter or better equipped to learn?

Turkmen Citizens Make Their Voices Heard

Alexander Sodiqov — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 23:52:06 +0000

The writing on this building in Turkmenistan reads: “Governor (or Mayor), fix our roads”.

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Migration a ‘Tragedy’ for Kyrgyzstan

Alexander Sodiqov — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:48:07 +0000

About 2,000 young and well-educated professionals leave Kyrgyzstan every year. Begimai Sataeva on NewEurasia.net calls the outward migration of the bright and skilled young people a ‘real tragedy’ that affects Kyrgyzstan's economy and international competitiveness.

Regime Critic Goes Missing in Tajikistan

Alexander Sodiqov — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:21:09 +0000

Over the last ten days, journalists and internet users in Tajikistan have actively discussed the ‘disappearance’ of a Tajik opposition leader from a Dubai-based detention center. Meanwhile, they have largely ignored another recent disappearance of an outspoken critic of the regime within the country itself. Salim Shamsiddinov, 58, has been missing since he left his house in the southern city of Qurghonteppa early in the morning on March 15.

Critic of the regime

Shamsiddinov has served as the leader of the local Uzbek community in Khatlon province, southern Tajikistan, and as deputy leader of the countrywide Uzbek community since 2004. A lawyer by profession, he was largely unknown to people in the country before he alleged, in early 2012, that the Tajik government was no less responsible than neighboring Uzbekistan for straining relationships between the two Central Asian republics. The authorities in Tajikistan always blame the neighboring republic for the rift in bilateral relations. Shamsiddinov also criticized the Tajik government for pursuing the controversial Roghun Dam project and discriminating against Uzbeks, the largest ethnic minority in the country.

Salim Shamsiddinov (Image courtesy of RFE/RL, 2012).

Following these statement, Shamsiddinov was beaten up severely in May 2012. The authorities have not been able to identify the individuals who attacked him although the beatings took place across the road from the provincial office of the State Committee for National Security (GKNB) in Qurghonteppa. Shamsiddinov himself alleged that the attack must have been ordered by “important people” as an attempt to silence him.

In early 2013, Shamsiddinov joined a number of opposition politicians in demanding that the country's Election Law be amended in order to make the electoral competition fair. Moreover, he urged the country's ethnic Uzbeks to vote for Rahmatillo Zoirov, the leader of the opposition Social-Democratic Party (SDPT), in the upcoming presidential elections. Effectively, this meant urging his ethnic kin to vote against Tajikistan's veteran president Emomali Rahmon who would be seeking reelection for another term during the contest in November.

Several days after Shamsiddinov went missing, the authorities announced that they did not know his whereabouts. The police announced they could not find any signs of kidnapping. Zoirov, however, has alleged [tj] that Shamsiddinov was detained by the Tajik security services because of his political statements. On March 25, Amnesty International announced that Shamsiddinov's disappearance might have been “a politically motivated abduction”. The authorities have denied any role in the disappearance.

Rare reactions

Internet users in Tajikistan have largely missed the disappearance of Shamsiddinov. There have been no reactions among the country's bloggers, and very little discussion on Facebook. Of those few people who have noticed the disappearance, most seem to have little concern for Shamsiddinov.

In a comment under the initial report about the incident on Radio Ozodi's website, ‘Spitamen’ wrote [tj]:

Чи даркор хамин кадар вохимахо.. як бори дигар ба назарам ин шахс нопадид шуда буд ва боз ёфт шуд.. “Аз МАГАС фил назозед” Мумкин ба ягон чой ба мехмони рафтааст..

Stop this hysteria… I think this person had gone missing before and was found. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. Maybe he is just visiting some friends…

Another person, under the name ‘Folbin', added [tj]:

Дар арафаи Навруз ба сахро гулчини рафтаги. Меведе хушру биков, яке гург нахурда боша ин узбаки бечорара

He must have gone to the field to gather some flowers for Nowruz. Search better and you will find him, unless a wolf has eaten the poor Uzbek.

Many other comments under the article are openly nationalistic and critical of Shamsiddinov, the ethnic ‘other'. Sarboz wrote [tj], for example:

Кор ба чое расидааст, ки узбак дар даруни Точикистон зидди идеяхои милли (сохтани гесси Рогун) шудааст.ки гуе ин ба фоидаи Узбакистон набудааст. Агар дар Узбакистон як точик чунин чуръат кунад.уро чи кор мекунанд? Пусташро мекананд

We've come to a point where an Uzbek in Tajikistan speaks against national ideas (such as the Roghun Dam). He says the project is harmful to Uzbekistan. If a Tajik acted in such a bold way in Uzbekistan, what would happen to him? They would take his skin off.

Another person, ‘Rustam', chipped in [tj]:

Нопадид шудааст такдираш будаст чи чои бахс аст… Ин Ватан сохиб дорад ва сохибаш Точик аст

He's gone missing, it was his fate, no doubt about it… This country has a master, and the master is the Tajik.

‘Haqiqai Talkh’ added [tj]:

Шамсиддинов аз меъёр зиёд мухолифи кишвари мо буд ва Узбакистонро, ки боре надидааст таъриф мекарду ҷонибдори аз Каримов мекард.

Shamsiddinov was too critical of our country; he praised Uzbekistan which he had never seen and supported [Uzbek President Islam] Karimov.

Several other readers, however, urged their fellow Tajiks to be more tolerant of the ethnic minority. An anonymous user asked [tj]:

Ajoib, charo in qadar dar borai in odam va umuman uzbekhoi Tojikiston badbin hasted?

I wonder why you all are so hateful of this person and of Tajikistan's Uzbeks in general.

‘Bemakon’ wrote [tj]:

Ин посуххоро мехонаму нафратам нисбати миллати худ зиёд мегардад! Хой, мардум, наход ки мо то ин андоза миллатчи бошем? Узбак хаст вай, точик ва ё гайра, чи фарк дорад? Шахрванди Точикистон хаст ва асосаш ИНСОН хаст! Агар акидаву андешахои шахс нисбати дигарон фарк кунад, пас уро якумра хабс бояд кард, ё несту нобуд? Бояд эхтиром нисбати ШАХСИЯТРО омузем ва шояд он гох ба хурмату иззати бегонагон сазовор гардем…

I read these comments and I begin to hate my own nation! Hey, people, are we really so nationalistic? Why does it matter whether he is an Uzbek or a Tajik? He is a citizen of Tajikistan, but most importantly he is a HUMAN BEING! Do you think we should imprison a person for voicing personal opinions? Or eliminate the person? No, we should learn to respect people because of their PERSONALITY; this will earn us respect from other people…

And Tojikbacha added [tj]:

Ин тавр нагуед мардум, охир у ба хеч кадоми шумо бадие накардааст. У пеш аз хама ба касе падар, шавхар е бародар аст ва баъд сиесатмадор. Онхо мутмаинам об аз гулуашон намегузарад. Худованд саломат бошаду ба назди оилааш баргардад.

People, stop writing [hateful] comments; the person didn't do any harm to any of you. He is, first of all, somebody's father, husband, or brother, and only then is he a politician. I am sure his family is suffering now. I pray that he returns to his family healthy.

The responses show that xenophobic attitudes run deep within Tajik society. Bloggers have recently criticized the rise of religious intolerance and negative attitudes towards ethnic minorities among social media users in Tajikistan.

The disappearance that wasn't

Meanwhile, Umarali Quvvatov, the exiled Tajik opposition politician who had allegedly “disappeared” from a detention center in Dubai ten days ago, has been “found”. His lawyer Nikolay Nikolaev posted [ru] on Twitter on March 26:

@NikoDN Умарали Кувватов- ЖИВ!

@NikoDN Umarali Quvvatov is ALIVE!

He added [ru]:

@NikoDN Только что вышел со мной на связь.По его словам сидит в зиндане в полной информационной блокаде.Считает что [власти Дубая] это сделали в угоду тадж.властям.

@NikoDN He has just been in touch with me. He says he is held in a solitary cell, deprived of any communication with the outside world. He believes the Dubai authorities did this at the request of the Tajik authorities.

Cooking Kazakh Traditional Dish

Alexander Sodiqov — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:28:00 +0000

Beshbarmak (Image from Vox Populi, used with permission)

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‘Foreign Ideas’ as Extremism in Central Asia

Alexander Sodiqov — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:44:21 +0000

On Registan.net, Noah Tucker speculates about what is wrong with the way Central Asian governments deal with religious activity that is not sanctioned by the state:

[I]n former Soviet Central Asia there is little debate that the root problem [of extremist beliefs] is “foreign ideas,” defined so broadly as to become a target of opportunity for both every political purpose and every local policeman or official’s ambition. Any sign of dissent from state policies or ideology <…> can be enough to bring the wrath of the state, sometimes with great violence.

A Peek Into Uzbek Pop Music Scene

Alexander Sodiqov — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 03:00:24 +0000

Uzbek Music Friday is a (rare) feature in which I post a pop music video from an artist in Uzbekistan. It could be catchy, annoying, funny, insightful, brilliant, awful, or anything in between. It’s what’s playing on the radio, what all the cool kids are listening to these days… [It] gives you a glimpse into how pop music is done on this side of the world.

Ivory Pomegranate blog, which has long offered a weekly peek into Kyrgyz pop music scene, now also features latest music hits from Uzbekistan.