Religious factor in the Basmachi movement (on the example of Kyrgyzstan in the 20s of the XX century.)

Abstract

This article deals with the Basmachi movement in the context of the problems of relations between the Soviet authorities and the broad Muslim masses (on the example of Kyrgyzstan in the 1920s.). From the very beginning of its existence, the Soviet government, right up until its collapse, pursued a dualistic policy towards Muslims. In difficult conditions for itself, Soviet government showed great flexibility, and at the time of its reinforcement – rigidity. This situation is observed in the 1920sin the history of Kyrgyzstan. Under the conditions of a new change of power (October 1917), the liquidation of the “Kokand Autonomy” (February 1918), the Soviets’ blow to the Islamic principles of the social order aroused resentment among Muslims. By closing the mosques and madrassas, liquidating the vacufic lands, depriving the ulema of the right to analyze civil disputes, the Soviet authorities set themselves against virtually all the Muslim population of the region. This ultimately led to the activation of basmachism as the sharpest reaction of the broad Muslim masses to the policy of large-scale terror of the Soviet power. Expressing its flexibility, the Soviet authorities during this period for some time made concessions to Muslims, grantingthem religious freedom, but in the future again toughened it. At the same time, the use of the Muslim ideology, the slogan “For Islam”, the declaration of “gazavat{ against the Bolsheviks by the heads of Basmachi movements in the south of Kyrgyzstan (Zhanybek Kazy Sagynbaev, Aitmerik Toktomandzhiev, Gaiyp Pansat Abdurasulov, Adi Khodzhaev, Osmon Dzhumabaev, Rustam Ishan, etc.) played a negative role in the continued existence of Islam in Soviet Kyrgyzstan.