Security forces in Samarkand have arrested a man for providing illegal religious instruction to children, according to Uzbek media. Officials stated the 34-year-old was teaching seven children secretly without a license and warned citizens to be vigilant against unauthorized education.
The arrest presents a sharp contrast to Uzbekistan’s foreign policy in neighboring Afghanistan. The Taliban recently announced that the Uzbek government is funding the construction of a massive, six-million-dollar religious madrasa in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh province.
Observers note the irony in Tashkent’s approach: maintaining a strict secular crackdown on unsanctioned religious activities domestically, while simultaneously financing religious institutions across the border under the Taliban regime.
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