Can Covenantal Pluralism Grow in Central Asian Soil? Hopes and Hard Lessons from the Religious History of the Region

Abstract

The history of Central Asia prior to and during the process Islamization both provides a potential grounding for the concept of covenantal pluralism in the region and presents challenges to its fruition. While Central Asia has always been home to diverse religious practices, an orthodox interpretation of Islam was privileged over these. Non-Muslim religious minorities could expect protection, but limitations under Abbasid rule; heterodox Muslims were seen as security threats. The modern republics of Central Asia have extended state control over Islam, continue to privilege it, and use security as a justification to persecute Muslim groups outside of their control in addition to some Protestant sects.

Keywords:

• Central Asia
• Islam
• syncretism
• freedom of religion and belief
• covenantal pluralism
• Abbasid Revolution

Acknowledgements

This article is part of the journal’s Covenantal Pluralism Series, a project generously supported via a grant to the Institute for Global Engagement from the Templeton Religion Trust.

Notes

1 224–651 AD the Sassanid Dynasty ruled over Iran, Central Asia, and Mesopatamia. At times they ruled the Middle East also, but war with the Roman Empire in the first three decades of the 7th century lost them this territory.

2 Kharijism was an early Islamic sect that demanded absolute piety. It rejected the Umayyad caliphs on the grounds that they were morally corrupt. Kharijite bands frequently raided settled populations.

3 Little is known about Narshakhi (899–959) apart from the book he wrote about his city of Bukhara.

4 This term is synonymous with caliphate, but whereas the caliph may have no spiritual authority, the Imam of the imamate does. It would not be used in Sunni contexts, rather for other sects.

5 The Samanids were a dynasty that directly ruled Central Asia, while pledging nominal fielty to the Abbasid caliph.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Martha Brill Olcott

Martha Brill Olcott is a Professor at James Madison College, Michigan State University and is Professor Emerita at Colgate University. She has done research in Central Asia for over 40 years, and is the author of several books on the region, including most recently In the Whirlwind of Jihad and Tajikistan’s Difficult Development Path. From 1995–2014 Olcott also was a Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and ran the Carnegie al-Farabi project at al-Farabi Kazakh National University.

Matthew Rappe

Matthew Rappe is a graduate student at the University of Chicago earning a Master of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Arabic and International Relations from Michigan State University.