International scientific journal
“Interpretation and researches”
Volume 1 issue 12 (58) | ISSN: 2181-4163 | Impact Factor: 8.2
45
THE INTENSIFICATION OF MASS ATHEISTIC CAMPAIGNS AND
POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AGAINST RELIGION IN THE TURKESTAN
SSR
Rukhsora Toirjonova
Lecturer at Fergana State University
Abstract:
This article provides an objective scholarly analysis of the Soviet
Union’s anti-religious and atheistic campaigns during the 1920s. It highlights how
local Soviet authorities accused the majority of mutawallis—managers of waqf
properties—of misappropriating waqf revenues. As a result, a widespread campaign
was launched to replace them with individuals more loyal to the regime.
Keywords:
Bolsheviks, religious scholars, clergy, Jadids, “Hujum” campaign,
madrasa,
mosque,
Soviet
authority,
religious
education,
“Basmachism,”
independence movement.
By the 1920s, the Bolshevik regime in the Turkestan region had initiated a
systematic ideological campaign against Islam. This policy aimed to sever the
population from their centuries-old religious beliefs, which were deeply intertwined
with their historical memory, spiritual values, cultural heritage, and national identity.
The ultimate goal was to establish a unified communist ideology within the
consciousness of the people. To achieve this, the Bolsheviks deemed it necessary first
to eliminate the influence of Islamic scholars who propagated religious teachings. As
a result, religious scholars were declared class enemies and subjected to repression.
The Bolsheviks intensified their propaganda efforts against the clergy, making the
fight against religion one of the regime’s top priorities. For example, at the
Samarkand Regional Party Conference held on April 5, 1923, it was specifically
emphasized that anti-religious propaganda should be conducted carefully across all
cities, factories, and rural areas. The conference also highlighted the importance of
utilizing the influence of the Jadids—who held considerable authority among the
population—and drawing on their intellectual and cultural resources. It further
recommended fostering ideological debates between Jadids and Muslim clergy, while
consistently supporting the faction of Muslim intellectuals who held anti-religious
sentiments [1;32].
The Bolsheviks’ policy of setting the Jadids against the religious scholars
ultimately failed to achieve its intended outcome. On the contrary, the intelligentsia
viewed the strengthening and protection of religious belief as one of their key
responsibilities, alongside the promotion of secular education and enlightenment.
International scientific journal
“Interpretation and researches”
Volume 1 issue 12 (58) | ISSN: 2181-4163 | Impact Factor: 8.2
46
The local Executive Committees of the Soviet government launched a
widespread campaign accusing many mutawallis—managers of waqf properties—of
embezzling waqf revenues and subsequently replacing them with individuals more
loyal to the regime. For instance, on July 19, 1919, the Council of Deputies of Old
Margilan dismissed the imam of the Yorotalik Mosque and the mutawalli of the
Oqyoʻlboy Madrasa, accusing them of misappropriating waqf income for personal
use. Similarly, at a meeting of the Namangan City Executive Committee on August
27, 1918, the mutawalli of the Ayritom Mosque, Islomkhoja Eshon, was dismissed
for his "offenses," which included providing false reports regarding the mosque’s
income and expenditures [2;150].
In the same year, several other religious figures were similarly dismissed on
charges of embezzlement. These included Mulla Abduqahhor, the mutawalli of the
Holkhoja Eshon Madrasa; Mulla Ashur Rahimov, the mutawalli of the
Abduvahobboy Madrasa; and Mulla Sa'dullohoja, the imam of the Sobirkhoja
Mosque in Shahrikhan. According to archival sources, between 1918 and 1921, a
significant number of madrasas and mosques in the Samarkand, Fergana, and
Syrdarya regions were destroyed, leaving them without their traditional sources of
income. The violent suppression of the autonomy movement revealed that the
Soviets' ideology of terror and repression was not only being implemented
throughout the former Russian Empire but was also being actively pursued in the
Turkestan region during the post-revolutionary years. Realizing that freedom could
not be attained easily, national patriots took up arms and launched resistance
movements against the Bolshevik regime. This struggle continued until the end of
1935. According to the analysis of young historian Kahramon Rajabov, between 1918
and 1924, approximately 500,000 members of the resistance movement in the
Fergana Valley alone—comprising various anti-Soviet forces—were killed by Red
Army troops. Additionally, around 1,000 people died of starvation. Based on his
well-documented research, the region’s population, which stood at 2.2 million in
1915, had decreased to just 500,000 by the end of 1924—indicating that 1.7 million
people perished within a single decade [3;35].
The defeat of the independence movement in Uzbekistan, the implementation of
land and water reforms (1925–1929), the "Hujum" campaign aimed at the
emancipation of women (1927–1928), the collectivization of agriculture (1929–
1932), along with the concurrent policy of "dekulakization" and the mass repressions
of 1937–1938, inflicted severe suffering on the religious scholars. During these
tumultuous processes, life came under intense pressure due to the strengthening of
authoritarian governance, administrative coercion, and the cult of personality. As the
Soviet authorities carried out reforms that ultimately led to negative consequences,
International scientific journal
“Interpretation and researches”
Volume 1 issue 12 (58) | ISSN: 2181-4163 | Impact Factor: 8.2
47
they trampled upon the deeply rooted emotional and spiritual values of society,
shaped over centuries under the influence of Islamic morality.
After the armed resistance against the Soviet regime in Uzbekistan was largely
suppressed, the Bolsheviks intensified their anti-religious policies once again. This
campaign manifested itself in actions such as closing mosques, banning religious
education, and burning religious literature. It is worth noting that prior to 1917, there
were 23 functioning madrasas and 62 mosques actively operating in the region [1;33].
Every campaign implemented in the Uzbek SSR created an atmosphere of
repression that affected a large portion of the population. Religious scholars suffered
the most under such persecution and pressure. The unstable situation in the republic,
compounded by the Soviet regime’s policy of violence in the national regions,
eventually led to a prolonged popular armed resistance against Soviet rule.
Organizations that opposed the Soviet system and were labeled as “counter-
revolutionaries” in Soviet historiography were actively suppressed, and religious
scholars were systematically targeted. They were accused of “collaborating with the
Basmachi movement, hiding Basmachis, participating in the movement, aiding them
ideologically, engaging in espionage, being members of counter-revolutionary
organizations, conducting anti-Soviet propaganda, and engaging in terrorism.”
Religious figures such as mullahs, sheikhs, qadis, imams, and mutawallis were often
subjected to repression not only for these alleged actions but also for being
categorized as wealthy (bays or kulaks) or for showing sympathy toward large
landowners. On February 22, 1930, 11 individuals were sentenced to death by firing
squad on charges of being kulaks and supporting or sheltering Basmachis. Among
them were renowned scholars of their time, including Shahobiddin Omonov,
Mamadali Eshon Isaqov, Mulla Fozil Oqilov, and Holmatkhoja Mirzaliev [4;170].
In April of the same year, 110 religious scholars were arrested for allegedly
participating in counter-revolutionary groups and conducting anti-Soviet propaganda.
These individuals were detained under strict conditions in OGPU prisons and
subjected to intensive interrogation. Despite having committed no crimes, many of
them were sentenced to capital punishment simply for defending their human dignity
and rights. One such example is detailed in Case No. 5054 from the October 27, 1930
meeting of the “Troika.” The case recounts the fate of Nosirkhontura
Kamolkhonturaev (aged 56, of Tajik origin, a wealthy individual whose property had
been confiscated, a prominent scholar and former minister in the Kokand Autonomy
government, who also served as chairman of the Namangan religious administration
and was exiled for anti-Soviet activities from 1925 to 1928). According to the record,
he was sentenced to death by firing squad [4;177].
In conclusion, during the second half of the 1920s and throughout the 1930s,
religious scholars became targets of severe repression. They were accused of aiding
International scientific journal
“Interpretation and researches”
Volume 1 issue 12 (58) | ISSN: 2181-4163 | Impact Factor: 8.2
48
the Basmachi movement, sheltering its members, participating in counter-
revolutionary activities, conducting anti-Soviet propaganda, opposing the formation
of collective farms, engaging in sabotage, attending religious ceremonies without
paying taxes, participating in underground organizations, and leading religious
rituals. These accusations served as pretexts for their mass persecution and
repression.
References:
1.
Bodirov A. The Soviet Repression Against Religious People and Clerics
in the Zarafshan Valley. Imam Bukhari Journal, 2014, Issue 2, p. 32.
2.
Fergana Regional State Archive, Fund 121, Inventory 1, Case 150.
3.
Rajabov K. The Independence Movement in the Fergana Valley: Its
Essence and Main Development Stages (1918–1924). Doctoral Dissertation, 1995, p.
35.
4.
Shamsutdinov R. The Tragedy of the Village: Collectivization,
Dekulakization, Exile. Tashkent: Sharq, 2003, p. 170.
5.
Salmonov A. The Religious Policy of the Soviet Power in Uzbekistan:
Doctrine and Historical Reality (1917–1960). Tashkent: Tafakkur, 2015, p. 72.
