Taking into consideration that almost 95% of population in Fergana valley are Muslim, officials of these three countries clearly understand that Islamic issues once dealt wrongly may serve as a basis for peoples uprising against the government. The Andijan massacre, the result of prosecution of Akramiya followers in Andijan city of Uzbekistan, is a good example for this.

During Soviet times, when the central government promoted atheistic ideology among the population, Islam had suffered badly and existed only undercover. Budget workers, especially school teachers, who prayed at their work palces, were publicly fired and were in "black list" of the government, which meant a full stop in the career of the person. There was a case in Andijan city in late 80's, when a school principal was fired, because his son was wedding was according to islamic rules.

After the collapse of communism, there was a sudden resurgence of Islam in Ferghana valley. Different Islamic organizations had popped up. One of the popular ones is Hizb-ut-Tahrir, an Islamic Political Party working for the reestablishment of Caliphate, Islamic state, in the world. Hizb-it-Tahrir is considered as a terrorist organization and banned in all three countries of Ferghana valley. Unlike its neighbors, Uzbekistan took very severe politics towards Hizb-ut-Tahrir. Its members were and still are persecuted and imprisoned for their membership in the organization. Imprisoned Hizb-ut-Tahrir members are reportedly being ill-treated and systematically tortured. The situation in neighboring Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan is not that bad, though, the governments of these countries also takes severe actions towards Hizb-ut-Tahrir.

BBC reporter Natalia Antaleva recently made a video report showing that the number of Hizb-ut-Tahrir's followers in Fergana valley is growing, attracting more women to its activities.

I think that officials of both Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan need to take another, more effective approach in dealing with religious organizations, especially Hizb-ut-Tahrir. Here I fully agree with Tim Epkenhans, director of OSCE Academy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, who told to BBC reporter that "the security agencies [of the region] definitely provided these [Islamic] organizations with certain myth that they are doing something bad against the government" and that "the very disproportionate prosecution of Islamic organizations, such as Hizb-ut-Tahrir, is in the end generating more conflict and violence than it solves."

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