CAIR Denounces Proposal Legislation to Punish Parents in Uzbekistan Seeking Islamic Education for Their Kids

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the U.S., has condemned a proposed law in Uzbekistan that would punish parents for seeking Islamic education for their children, the organization’s website announced yesterday.

Despite Uzbekistan’s Muslim-majority population, there are currently only 15 educational institutions in the country that teach Islam. The new measure, if passed, would penalize parents who try to provide their children with Islamic education outside of these limited legal options.

“Parents of all faiths must be free to educate their children about spiritual matters without interference from the state,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “Unfortunately, this draft law is representative of a broader international trend toward religious repression.”

A recent Human Rights Watch report highlighted how Uzbek authorities restrict religious freedom, including by preventing the registration of religious communities, subjecting former religious prisoners to arbitrary controls, and prosecuting Muslims on vague extremism-related charges.

This proposed law targeting Islamic education for children comes just weeks after the passage of a bill in neighboring Tajikistan that would ban the Islamic headscarf, or hijab, and other Islamic clothing.

Advocates argue these types of measures infringe on the fundamental right of parents to raise their children according to their religious beliefs. CAIR has called on Uzbekistan to reconsider the proposed law and uphold religious freedom.