Митинг в Джалал-Абаде

Bishkek, 2010, Prostestors.

Kyrgyzstan Revolution 2010 Photo

Revolution in Bishkek 2010 Видео из г. Бишкек

Our Youth Must Be Happier Than Us: The Unreality of Journalism, Part 2

Here Musafirbek explores the obstacles with which young journalists are faced in Uzbekistan’s journalism industry. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, they find themselves the victims of a self-perpetuating system hellbent on undermining not only their careers, but their very ideals.

Our youth should be much stronger, better educated, wiser and, of course, happier than us.

This is a frequent refrain from Uzbekistan’s president, one which, no doubt, he will say for long into the future. But his words ring hollow when we look deeper into the unhappy situation of Uzbek journalism’s next generation.

Obviously, those who work outside of official, sanctioned channels find themselves the target of harassment, extortion, defamation, or worse. There’s nothing surprising about this to anyone who’s been paying attention to Uzbekistan since independence.

However, those who work for official media find themselves in a different but equally difficult position. They are stuck between the independent journalists, in whose eyes they lose all credibility, and the elders of officialdom, who fear them.

To their superiors within the news agencies, young journalists are seen as nonprofessional simply because of their age. The bad treatment gets worse depending on the young journalist’s individual talent: the more capability they have, the more they are left to rot by their elder colleagues.

The reason is because the elder fears for his or her own job security. They are not able to gain the experience necessary to advance in their careers, and at the same time, if they do have the experience, they have the doors of opportunity shut in their face.

This rasies an important question: with such problems, why do young journalists still try? The answer is that before enterring the job market they already invested four years of their life to study journalism in university.

In school they could exercise their free will by choosing their own courses, not to mention drink in idealism. According to Uzbek law, students who completed their studies on scholarship must pay back the government for three years. Ironically, the best-paying jobs are with the official news agencies (which, like the students, are dependent upon the state for their survival).

You can easily imagine what happens after three years of thankless slaving away in this industry: most of the idealists are obliterate and either quit or sell out and become cogs in the machine.

But then why are so many of Uzbekistan’s youth enrolling in journalism majors? After all, you would think that word would eventually get around that the job market is terrible.

One answer is that they are short-sighted. They are used as cheap labor and don’t even realize it, foolishly believing that eventually they’ll catch a lucky break.

Another answer is that they simply care about their society. Call it delusion or the naivete of youth; either way, they believe in the power of information.

Displaced Pakistanis return to Swat

People displaced by the military’s offensive against the Pakistani Taliban are returning to their homes in Swat valley in the country’s northwest

Many of the two million internally displaced people arrived in Swat and surrounding areas in the North West Frontier Province on Sunday.

Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Mingora, Swat’s main city, said he saw more and more people returning since the Pakistan government unveiled its repatriation programme on Monday.

“When we first went in [to Swat] on Monday, there were long queues and numerous checkpoints … [but today], the city is coming back to life,” he said.

However, many Swat residents remain concerned about the security situation as sporadic clashes continue to erupt despite the military’s control over the towns and all major communication routes.

Fighters at large

The Swat Taliban leadership is still intact and hundreds or even thousands of their fighters are still at large.

“The people will be picking up the pieces, the shops and businesses that have been destroyed have to start from scratch,” our correspondent said.

“It will be an uphill task and the people of Swat will need assistance for a while.”

The UN humanitarian affairs chief earlier cautioned that there was no guarantee of safety for the returnees.

“The security situation is not going to be 100 per cent calm in these areas overnight and we must recognise that,” John Holmes said on Friday at the end of a Pakistan visit.

But there are other areas in the northwest where people have not been able to return for over a year due to the fighting.

“They [residents of the NWFP] would be concerned that they will not be able to return for another few years,” our correspondent said.

“The big onus on the government now is to ensure that it is able to give a level of security [to these people].”

Pakistani authorities had announced that the displaced would start returning to their homes from July 13 after the military said it had largely cleared the districts of Buner, Swat and Lower Dir of Taliban fighters.

Many people have been living with friends and relatives or in makeshift camps since the military began its offensive in the NWFP in late April.

‘Fazlullah broadcast’

Amid the influx of Swat’s displaced residents, Pakistan’s army said it was investigating if Maulana Fazlullah, the leader of the regional Taliban, delivered a recent radio address.

The military had earlier said he was wounded.

Fazlullah long used illegal FM radio transmissions to rally support. The army has been fighting his supporters for nearly three months.

The Associated Press news agency quoted a local as saying he heard Fazlullah for a few minutes on Tuesday.

Mohammad Yaseen Khan said Fazlullah asked his supporters not to lose spirit in the face of the army onslaught.

Philippines: Hundreds of troops deployed to crush Abu Sayyaf

Manila: Officials say hundreds of marines and army troops have been deployed to two islands in the southern Philippines at the start of a new offensive against Al Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf militants, who the military wants to eradicate by year-end.

The 120,000-strong military has tried but failed to finish off the 400-strong Abu Sayyaf in the past.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro ordered the military last week to launch fresh assaults against the Abu Sayyaf on Jolo and Basilan islands after the militants freed Italian hostage Eugenio Vagni the last of three Red Cross aid workers who were kidnapped in Jolo last January.

The Abu Sayyaf is on the US list of terrorist organizations because its bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings of hostages have rattled the southern Philippines for decades. The group is suspected of receiving funds and training from Al Qaida.

Kyrgyzstan is exposed to intrusion of extremist groups from Afghanistan and Pakistan

24.kg quotes Kadyr Malikov, Chief of an Independent Analytic Research Centre – Religion, Right, Politics, saying that ”Kyrgyzstan is highly exposed to intrusion of Afghan and Pakistan extremist groups with possible involvement of external forces.” Kadyr Malikov, Doctor of Political Science and Islamic Studies (Madrid University), further explains that it is due to the large-scale anti-terrorist operations that have recently been held in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Malikov concludes that in order to avoid possible negative effects in case militants cross borders of Kyrgyzstan, the Kyrgyz government must closely collaborate with civil society and Muslim community in southern Kyrgyzstan, especially with “official clergy, religious leaders” and come up with effective ideological counter-strategy. Kadyr Malikov makes serious points that state officials and all those who are involved in decision making process must pay their attention to.

First, the situation in southern Kyrgyzstan concerning Islamic matters remains very fragile. AfterNookat events in October 2008, when the local officials did not allow Muslims to celebrate religious holiday in the center of Nookat that resulted in mass disorder and imprisonment of many people, Muslim community’s opinion in the South had changed negatively towards the government. Given local people’s great interest in conspiracy theories (as they give quick answers), there are rumors in Muslim community of southern Kyrgyzstan that state officials collaborate with Jewish organizations, and as a result, put pressure on Muslims in the country. There is a hatred and distrust of the government among people. As a result, many of them might join the militants if they come to Kyrgyzstan.

Second,  the Kyrgyz government does not have a clear strategy in dealing with religious issues. The current politics of Kyrgyzs officials makes me think that they are doing nothing but copying the religious politics in neighboring states like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan – disproportional use of force and severe human rights violations in dealing with religious matters. History shows the results of such politics – Andijan events and blast in Khanabad. Total control over Islam is not possible. Therefore, the sate officials must not try to put pressure and gain total control over Muslims. It will surely result in creation of underground or so-called ‘parellel Islam’, like it happened during the Soviet Union, and/or distrust of the government and mass protests of Muslims. Kyrgyz state officials must closely collaborate with Muslim community and stop making one-sided zero-sum decisions.

Third, the Kyrgyz government has been pressuring Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) very much. Mufti of Kyrgyzstan Muratali aji Jumanov severely criticized HT in last years Eid ul Adha prayer in the center of Bishkek, which gathered several thousands of Muslims. Imams in central mosques have been doing the same thing during the Friday prayers for a long time. This has badly influenced HT members, whose numbers have increased during recent years. They believe that state-appointed mufti and imams have betrayed Islam and taken the side of jahil government. In case militants from Pakistan and Afghanistan intrude into southern Kyrgyzstan, there is a high possibility that HT will join them.

Finally, fourth, mass media and experts have recently been discussing that extremist militant groups from Afghanistan and Pakistan – Taliban and Islamic Movement of Turkestan – may have already crossed borders of Tajikistan, and are seeking local populations support. This must alert Kyrgyz officials, as we border with Tajikistan in southwest. And Kyrgyz borders in southwest are not well protected. Batkern events [ru] of 1999 are proof for it.

All these arguments given above may be concluded in one point – the Kyrgyz government must establish a communication bridge with Muslim community in southern Kyrgyzstan and come up with effective strategy in dealing with Islam. Otherwise, as Kadyr Malikov (he was my Master thesis supervisor by the way) believes, Kyrgyzstan may end up in the same situation like Pakistan.