The Price to be Paid

Protesters around the Muslim world shouting "Death to America" might choose not to listen, but events set in motion on September 11 are reverberating in ways damaging to Muslim interests that reach two and three layers deep. In Uzbekistan, a nation with an overwhelmingly Muslim majority, the injury reaches beyond the regime's decision to open air space and at least one base to the U.S. military. President Islam A. Karimov, like everyone else in the region who has something America wants, is willing to go along -- for a price. One thing he wants, and likely will get, is the return of the International Monetary Fund.

The angry departure of the IMF representative earlier this year caused deep offense to the regime. Another item high on Karimov's wish list is decreased Western scrutiny of human rights abuses in the country. He has thrown thousands of Muslims into prison as alleged terrorists without trial and Western aid workers I met with in the country agree with human rights activists that many (probably a large majority) of them are merely people who wanted to practice their faith. As Washington and Tashkent cozy up, Muslims in Uzbekistan are suffering.

Ed Fowler

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(c) 2001 Millennium Relief & Development Services, vol. 1 no. 4
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