US: Terrorism Not an Excuse to Crack Down on Islam in Central Asia

Some Muslims claim that the United States is really waging a war on Islam; it would seem that they are wrong, judging by what the official U.S. delegation told told an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe conference on freedom of religion.

In the words of a State Department spokeswoman, the U.S. government has concerns involve "the ability of individuals to freely profess and practice religion or belief, without fear of government harassment or imprisonment. We've observed how the overly aggressive response of some governments to security concerns threatens religious freedom for individuals and groups wishing to peacefully practice their faith."

The Voice of America explained the particulars: "people who pray at mosques five times a day could face imprisonment and even torture by the Uzbek authorities. The United States says other Central Asian governments are copying this kind of religious repression. … The U.S. delegates say they made some progress on the issue in meetings with their Uzbek counterparts during the two-day conference."

So there you have it: Washington protecting Muslim believers from the actions of a Muslim-majority government. (July 18, 2003)

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