Establishing an Islamic niche in Kazakhstan

Musylman Publishing House and its publications

Bibliographic Data

ID11450488
AuthorsWendell Schwab (Indiana University, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume30
Issue2
Pages227-242
Publication date2011-06-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCentral Asian Survey (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0263-4937 • E-ISSN: 1465-3354
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02634937.2011.565229
OpenAlexW2055162263
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited12

There has been an increase in Muslim piety and practice in Kazakhstan since the fall of the Soviet Union. Much of this increase is due to the efforts of members of the piety movement in Kazakhstan, who preach and publish about Islam in an effort to inspire more Kazakhs to embrace a particular vision of Islam emphasizing daily prayer, modest dress and condemnation of saint and ancestor veneration. From its humble beginnings as a press primarily publishing translations of short books on Islam, Musylman Publishing House has grown to become an influential Islamic press in Kazakhstan. Building on observations at the Musylman Publishing House editorial office and interviews with its staff, this essay examines the history and publications of Musylman Publishing House. It is argued that the publishing strategy directed by Qayrat Isa, the owner and chief editor of Musylman Publishing House, has been a conscious effort to establish, expand and consolidate a publishing niche for the piety movement in Kazakhstan. The result of this strategy has been the establishment of a readership that no longer simply reads about Islam, but actively preaches to others and contributes articles and books to Musylman Publishing House, creating a self-sustaining piety movement. Keywords: IslamKazakhstanpublishingIslamic literaturepiety movement Notes Ro'i and Wainer's (Citation2009, p. 307) survey indicates that 7% of Kazakhs perform the five-times-daily prayer, while Hassan (Citation2002, p. 54) finds that 4% of Kazakhs perform the daily prayers. Hassan reports that only 8% of Kazakhs read the Qur'an at least once a week, compared with 50% of Pakistanis, and 58% of Egyptians (Hasan 2002, p. 56). The data on Kazakhs' mosque attendance comes from Ro'i and Wainer, who inform us that 19% of Kazakhs go to Friday prayers or attend mosque several times a week (2009, p. 314). In addition to Islamic print media, there is an Islamic television station in Kazakhstan, Asyl Arna, which is associated with the piety movement. A typical print run for an Ata Zholy book is 1000, while Kokzhiek and the Khalifa Altay Charitable Fund print books in runs of 3000 to 10,000. The cooperation between the Gu ̈len movement and the piety movement complicates Abashin's (Citation2006) statement that current efforts to educate Central Asians on Islam and to control local and state-level Islamic resources cannot be reduced to a competition between ‘fundamentalists’ and ‘traditionalists’. I agree that these two labels are poor analytical tools. However, while there are many Islamic movements attempting to influence Central Asians' Islamic practices and beliefs, there is cooperation between various groups. Groups who some scholars would label ‘fundamentalist’ or ‘scripturalist’, such as the piety movement and the Gu ̈len movement, often cooperate with each other, as do groups who some scholars would label ‘traditionalists’. See, for example, Habiba Fathi's (2005) differentiation between ‘new’ or ‘reformist’ and ‘traditional’ or ‘non-reformist’ female Islamic authorities in Uzbekistan. Fathi's dichotomy usefully highlights the difference between ‘traditional’ Islamic practice ‘based on a world of saints, ancestor worship, and the recital of poems or religious texts’ and a new style of Islamic practice based on an intense attempt to emulate the beliefs and practices of the Prophet and his Companions. While I agree with Abashin that there is much greater complexity to the Islamic debates in Central Asia than a competition between ‘fundamentalists’ and ‘traditionalists’, there is an element of truth to this categorization. I borrow the notion of niche establishment, expansion and consolidation from an article written by Clifford Geertz on the establishment of Islam in what would become Indonesia (Geertz Citation2010). This framework is particularly appropriate because of the conscious business and proselytization plans of Musylman. See Mahmood Citation(2005) for an influential examination of women's roles in the piety movement in Egypt. Haniffa (Citation2008) discusses a similar and related piety movement in Sri Lanka. These piety movements are linked globally through institutions of learning, often found in the Arab world, and networks of preachers and writers. Moreover, ‘calling’ is a major institution of these piety movements that is less important in other Islamic movements. In this paper, I translate namaz as ‘daily prayer’ and dugha as ‘supplication’ in an effort to distinguish between the two practices. See Jessa Citation(2006) for a description of Ata Zholy, which is a branch of the movement also known as Aq Zhol. Islamic presses in Kazakhstan are encouraged, although not required, to submit their publications to the SAMK for approval. The SAMK is charged with ensuring that Islamic literature does not promote terrorism, extremism or violence. Receiving approval from the SAMK makes it likely that a press will not face sanctions from the Kazakhstani government in the future. This number excludes small fold-out pamphlets and calendars. Twenty-nine of Musylman's books were translated from Russian, one from Uzbek, one from Turkish and four from Arabic. The Shafi'i school of jurisprudence recommends men hold their hands to their chest after hearing the call to prayer, whereas the Hanafi school of jurisprudence recommends men hold their hands below their navels. In 2007, 2008 and 2009, four of the top 10 Islamic bestsellers at Meloman, the largest bookstore chain in Kazakhstan, were printed by Musylman, the Khalifa Altay Charitable Fund, al-Barakat, Kokzhiek or Kausar-Sayakhat. The remaining bestsellers included various translations of the Qur'an and works printed in Russia, such as El'mir Kuliev's Citation(2008) The road to the Qur'an (Na Puti k Koranu)

Ancient history · Doctrine · Islam · Piety · Political science · Prayer · Publishing · Sociology · Veneration · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy · Political Conflict and Governance · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Religious studies · Religious Studies

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