THE INTENSIFICATION OF MASS ATHEISTIC CAMPAIGNS AND POLITICAL MOVEMENTS AGAINST RELIGION IN THE TURKESTAN SSR

Аннотация

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. 45 International scientific journal “Interpretation and researches” Volume 1 issue 12 (58) | ISSN: 2181-4163 | Impact Factor: 8.2 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 19