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Little-known radical group called threat to Central Asian security
Analysts call the IJU more violent than some other militant organisations
By Talib Kurbanov and Tamara Grigoryeva
2010-03-02
TASHKENT – The radical Islamic Jihad Union (IJU) has been gaining strength in Uzbekistan.
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![Uzbek and Afghan suspected militants are shown at Kohat in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in this 2008 file photo. The Islamic Jihad Union, a fringe militant group, is gaining adherents in Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia. [TARIQ MAHMOOD/AFP/Getty Images]](/shared/images/2010/03/02/UzIJU-218_172.jpg)
Uzbek and Afghan suspected militants are shown at Kohat in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in this 2008 file photo. The Islamic Jihad Union, a fringe militant group, is gaining adherents in Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia. [TARIQ MAHMOOD/AFP/Getty Images]
![Uzbek and Afghan suspected militants are shown at Kohat in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP) in this 2008 file photo. The Islamic Jihad Union, a fringe militant group, is gaining adherents in Uzbekistan and other parts of Central Asia. [TARIQ MAHMOOD/AFP/Getty Images]](/shared/images/2010/03/02/UzIJU.jpg)
Valery Ponomarev, a terrorism observer with the Russian human rights centre Memorial, said the organisation is little known and the police often mistake its members for those of other radical groups, such as the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU).
Surat Ikramov, leader of Uzbekistan’s Action Group of Independent Human Rights Defenders, said, “Over 150 suspected members of the IJU have been detained in Uzbekistan over the past four months”.
Israil Rizayev, a former activist of the human rights organisation Ezgulik, said that in Syrdarya oblast, 67 IJU members are under investigation:
“All of them are facing charges of anti-constitutional activity and the establishment of extremist religious groups on Uzbek territory”, Rizayev said.
He said authorities first linked the suspects to Al Jamaat and Birodarlar, but then it became clear they were IJU militants whose goal is “to kill high-ranking religious leaders and politicians in Uzbekistan”.
Abdulaziz Mansur, deputy chair of the Muslim Religious Board of Uzbekistan, said, “In 2009, that group tried to assassinate Anvar-kori Tursunov, the chief imam-hatib of Tashkent, and murdered Interior Ministry official Hassan Asadov in his own house. They attempted to kill me, too, so I have a team of bodyguards now to protect me”.
Ponomarev said the IJU was established in 2002, when some extremists split off from the IMU because of different goals. The IMU had planned to seize power in only Uzbekistan, whereas the more-ambitious IJU wanted to spread its influence to all of Central Asia and subsequently to Europe.
IJU leader Nazhmiddin Jalolov, also known as Yakhyo or Ahmad, used to be a prominent IMU activist along with Takhir Yuldashev and Juma Namangani. He died September 14, 2009, in an airstrike in Pakistan. Sukhayil of Tashkent replaced him.
The majority of IJU members are Uzbeks, but the organisation also has Kyrgyz, Tajik and Kazakh fighters. The group is based in Waziristan, but “since it was established, just like the IMU, in exile, it is highly mobile during police operations”.
The IJU purchases firearms in Afghan and Pakistani markets and receives donations from foreign sympathisers.
According to Ponomarev, “The IJU took on the responsibility for terrorist acts in Andizhan and Khanabad but has hinted in its video addresses that it coordinates actions with other radical groups, such as al-Qaeda.”
A member of Uzbekistan’s Quick Response Unit, who asked to remain anonymous, said the IJU is about 2,000 strong.
Memorial’s Ponomarev estimates the number of IJU members at several hundred, insisting that “any talk of thousands of IMU and IJU militants is irrelevant”.
Ponomarev said Kazakh and German courts have tried suspected IJU members. The organisation is outlawed in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia and Kyrgyzstan. It has alternative names (such as the Mojahedin Jamoate of Central Asia), some of them invented by investigators.
Mansur described the IJU as far more aggressive and brutal than Hezbollah, Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Wahhabis, Islom Lashkarlari or the Akromists.
“While the above-mentioned movements have pursued the goal of establishing a caliphate by peaceful means, the IJU is strikingly different. … It cuts people’s throats in accordance with the ‘Nahr’ ritual – a method applicable to cattle in line with Sharia. I am certain that our police were right in moving fast enough to suppress its activity.” Ponomarev said the IJU “was the first in Central Asia to employ suicide terrorists” and that “it has been growing ever more active in the region”.
But as Ikramov sees it, the recently detained IJU suspects "were not thinking of any jihad. Moreover, I can state with a fair degree of certainty that it is Uzbek security agencies that were behind all those terrorist acts and killings”.
Ikramov said the Uzbek government has often arrested innocent citizens on political grounds and uses the pretext of combating extremism to justify their actions.
But the anonymous Quick Response Unit member disagrees, saying that the group is attracting disenfranchised Uzbek citizens.
“Those who are supporting the IJU or IMU today have just grown tired of the (Islam) Karimov government’s rule, and in the absence of an opposition, they just don’t see whom else to side with”.
“The IJU’s popularity has been growing, especially in the Ferghana Valley, although no one will admit it openly”, he said. “The majority of IJU supporters are simply desperate people subjected to the baleful influence of extremists”.
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You will find all true believers doing All the commands of Allah without any exception.
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islamic Jihaad has been misunderstood and disinformated,western media always spread the disinformations without reading or understanding or even without having any information about any subject of islam.so they intermingle the jihaad and terrorism.while as hihaad is only a defensive last measure to defend the lives and property and idology and practice of islam if these are under threat of abolishment by the other religious forces ,governements or organizations and if ther is proved sufficient evedences of anhilations of muslims ,destruction of their properties and the restrictions posed upon them for not practicing islam or its rituals ,then jihad becoms obligaotry for the muslims and their nearby muslims to contend such offensive if they are of the view that they would be fleshed out.terrorism is another thing entirely different from that of jihhad. Shah Manzoor Ahmed ex ameer jamiatul mujahideen Jammu and kashmir contact 0092333 5444 797 eimail.shah_m61ahmed@yahoo.com
we all r muslims we love our religion
Terrorism and Jihad are entirely different. Muslims do Jihad according to the advise of Qura\'n and in the light of Sunnah. It become compulsory for every Muslim when non muslims stopped them to perform their religious duties, they destroy Muslims\' lives as well as wealth and property. When non muslims forced them to spent their (Muslims\') life according to the non Islamic customs and norms. They abolished their economy or when they occupy their homes and lands. When they try to occupy their homelands only due to their richness and resources. Otherwise Islam is a religion of peace and love. It give rights to the follower of every religion to spend their lives according to the preachings of their religion. Its the duty of a Muslim government to provide security and prosperity to every non muslim resident on equality basis. No Muslim is allowed to create any problem for any non muslim resident in any way. Muslims are responsible to respect their lives, wealth and the places where they perform their religious duties. I hope that ever one will try to understand this point of view and if any one want to know in detail he should read the Holy Qura\'n and Hadith (these two sources define the way of life of Muslims and teach them that how they have to spend their lives. These are the basics of Islam). The translations of them are available almost in every major language e.g., English, Spanish, Dutch, French etc. If one faces any difficulty in finding them or want to read the literature on Islam can contact on the following e-mail address: irfan.a.mirza@gmail.com May Almighty Allah guide all of us to the right path.
islam is a complete code of life and pracical religion
How do I put stuff on your site?
plz forget the religeons first we r humanbeen and pecee jihad is no way off life and islam is only myth and story no god no all things so plz u going to right way the way off peice thanku
islam is a complete code of life and pracical religion
NO DOUBT ISLAM IS ONLY THE RELIGION,THAT HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONFORMATION OF HEAVEN IF WE RESPECT IT AND DO THE THINGS THAT ALLAH ORDERS US AND ALLAH IS THE GREATEST.AND ALLAH IS CONSERVED.ALLAH GAVE QURAAN MAJEED TO HIS BELOVED RASOOL[HAZRAT MUHAMMAD SALLALLAHU ALAIHI WASUULUM].AND HE GAVE US A MASSAGES ABOUT HIS OWN AND ALLAH AND TOLD US TO ACCEPT ISLAM AND SUCCESS HERE AND THERE.
NO DOUBT ISLAM IS THE ONLY RELIGEON AND SYSTEM THAT STRENGTHON THE WEAK AND OPRESSED PEOPLE AND RESOLVE THE ALL KIND OF PROBLEMS OF MANKIND .ERADICATE CRUELY,BRUTELITY AND TERRORISM AT ANY STAGE AND LEVEL THUS THE FIGHT AGIANST THESE EVILS IS A SACRED FIGHT . IT IS A WORSHIP AND DUTY OF EVERY MUSLIM TO PROVIDE APEACEFULL ENVIROMENT FOR ALL MANKIND THAT CAN SURVIVE WITH LIBERTY OF SPECULATIONS AND ENJOY FREEDOM OF LIFE IN THE LIGHT OF GOLDEN PRINCIPALS OF ISLAM WITHOUT ANY PRESSURE AND THREATS.IN ORDER TO ABOLISH ALL THE SYSTEMS WHICH MAKES THE HUMANBENG SLAVE OF OTHERS. THE ISLAMIC JEHAD IS THE ONLY WAY LEFT TO GET RID OF THESE CRUAL SYSTEMS OF THE WORLD.
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We are Muslim we love our Religion and jihad will continue untill qiama coming
It is strange that this website is now in Persian as well. I am very happy.
i need some good inforatims about pakistan
the jehaad wich is called by non muslims tarirsom is only due to islamic enimies.
i read only politic news
i love islam
Process of ablution
Jihad is mandatory for the eminence of Islam. It is due to the fact that only the Muslim community is facing persecution in the whole world. So what is wrong if they stand up for their rights? Jihad will continue till the complete elimination of our enemies.
What is the Islamic law to divide the property in the family? My father has died and we are total five family members, two brothers including me and have two married sisters and a mother. We have Rs. 7700,000 of our father. How we can divide this amount in our family?
Dear Islam will alive at the end of day and the followers will fight with
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