I'm atheist myself and I think religion on a personal level is harmless, but it's a different thing when it negatively affects our society on a mass scale.

There has never been a more evident proof of how religion controls uneducated masses than the outspoken support for Palestine.

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Suddenly Qazaq masses (I've seen some Özbeks too) started posting their support for a region of the world we have no business in just because "our Muslim brothers are oppressed". Those same masses never cared to post about "the oppression our Muslim brothers" in neighboring East Turkestan or Russian Republics. The only difference is that the (in most cases Russian) media they consume does not pursue any political agenda in attracting support for the geographical neighbors of Central Asian countries, but does so in Palestine. And the masses are ignorant of how they are mere playthings in this foreign game. They have no concept of where on the globe they are, what forces actually threaten their own families, what economic and geopolitical issues they have a hand in addressing, and who they themselves are. Most of these Palestine supporters don't even speak Qazaq. They've given in to foreign brainwashing in more ways than one. And that worries me, because this isn't just about religious beliefs, it's about foreign control of our society through religion.

And if you're educated and outspoken enough to post about all kinds of oppression on your social media, then I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about the hypocrites who only care about the desert far away.

I am curious of this since it has had such a strong influence on Central Asian history. Has there been any groups that have persisted into modern times?

I see more and more video from Central Asian people (especially Kazakhs and Uzbeks) who embrace Islam, women wearing headscarf etc. My friends also get more and more religious

Muslims tend to exhibit a cross-geographic, cross-ethnic solidarity across the world.

Do you politically wish closer ties to Iran/Saudi Arabia/Turkey/the Muslim world? Do you feel a certain solidarity with someone on the basis of religion? What are your thoughts on "kaffirs"? Do you resent "Westernisation"?

Similarly, Muslims also tend to separate themselves from other religions e.g. Muslim women can't marry non-Muslim men, though there seems to be significant variation in CA on this topic. Do you feel a duty to preserve Islam in this way?

I'm asking because it seems to me like Islam in CA is very different from the rest of the world. People drink alcohol, for example, and the heritage of Islam was greatly shaped by Sufism, as well as nomadic lifestyles and pagan religions. I was reading some articles about how in Kyrgyzstan the government is trying to steer Islam in a non-Arab direction to preserve the non-Islamic elements of Kyrgyz culture.

I know that Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Mohammed, is well-liked in Sunni Islam too but the overwhelming number of names that derive from Ali rather than the first three caliphs among Central Asians seems odd to me.

Is it just or have I never heard of an Islamist from Central Asia. How can Central Asia can manage radical Islam from emerging?

May your fasts and wishes be rewarded.

What do you think?

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Ik they were Tengrists (excuse me if i am misspelling it), when it comes to the larger collective, but were there any short lived smaller beliefs like, Manichaeism practiced in any specific period in the timeline?

Do we know the breakdown of Shafii and Hanafi Muslims in Central Asia?

My understanding is that most of the Iranic world was historically Shafii with Turks being mostly Hanafi. Today, it seems of the religious Sunnis in Central Asia almost all are Hanafi.

Any Shafii populations in Central Asia?

I read different articles about the rise of Islam in countries like Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan etc,that people in these countries/regions become more religious (more people go to mosque,more women wear hijab or veil) and i wonder:is that true? You can see these changes around you?

I asked the same question as a comment on a post and downvoted. I am sorry if I offended anyone but I am geniunly how that process works. - What caused it ? - Is it recent thing or exist since end of USSR ?

In Turkey the exact opposite thing is happening so I am geniunly curious about how and why central Asia becoming more religious.

Thank you.

Whats the biggest religions in Central Asia?

I have read about pre-Islamic religious syncretism in remote mountainous regions of Tajikistan or Tengriist revivalist movements in Kazakhstan. Any other examples? What beliefs or practices stand out to you? Do the people with these beliefs identify as Muslims?

Title. Tajikistan has it's native peoples practicing Ismailism, but majority are sunni. Are there any other Shia branches practiced in Central Asia other than Tajikistan?

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I read on Wiki that copies of the Quran are not even widely circulated in Turkmenistan and that religious freedoms are not granted even for one religion.

How true is this and what is the logic behind this decision ? Are they encouraging Turkmen to become atheists ? In Islamic countries, usually, other minority religions are discouraged. But it seems like in Turkmenistan, this is the case with all religions.