Dialogue in Practice: Tajikistan Experience

1
Dialogue in Practice Tajikistan Experience
2
Context

• The role and place of Islam in the process of
  state-building in post-Soviet Muslim countries
  has been a delicate issue since 1991 and
  independence. The existence of a legal Islamic
  party and the experience of an ongoing
  peace-building process after an atrocious civil
  war have enabled representatives of secular and
  Islamic backgrounds to co-exist in the secular
  Tajik state.

3
Context

• Enduring problems, however, reflected the need to
  rethink the meaning of secularism in the Tajik
  context. This project enhanced cooperation
  between representatives of the secular government
  and the religious sphere. The goal was to
  implement practical confidence-building projects
  within the framework of an Islamic-Secular
  Dialogue.

4
History of the Dialogue

• In 2001, CORE, a German research center, with the
  financial support of the German Ministry of
  Foreign Affairs, started an Islamic-secular
  dialogue project. In October 2002, the Political
  Division-IV (PD-IV) of the Swiss Federal
  Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), with the
  collaboration of the Geneva-based Program for the
  Study of International Organization(s) (PSIO) of
  the Graduate Institute of International Studies
  (HEI), joined the project and supported with
  their German partners a new round of discussions
  in 2003.

5
Dialogue in 2004-2006

• In 2004-2006 (Phase II), concrete policy
  recommendations and projects were developed.
  Three working groups met monthly for a one-year
  dialogue cycle on the topics of religious
  education law, religion, and politics and
  prevention of radicalism.
• In 2006-2008 (Phase III), the dialogue
  participants dedicated their time to project
  implementation and the continuation of the
  dialogue at a high official level.

6
Projects of Working Groups (2005-2007)

• Working Group 1 developed an innovative and
  uniform curriculum for a pilot madrassah and
  trained religious teachers.
• Working Group 2 published a specialized manual in
  April 2008 about the mosque registration process
  in Tajikistan and held seminars on the demanding
  legal registration process.
• Working Group 3 established a partnership with
  the Civil Servants Training Institute. Five
  teaching modules aiming at enhancing the skills
  of civil servants in dealing with religious
  organizations and actors were developed and have
  been included in the training agenda at the
  Institute since May 2007.

7
Dialogue in 2008-2009

• The Dialogue The three working groups continued
  their high-level dialogue and monitor their
  cooperation projects.
• The Dialogue members suggested to establish a
  NGO the main mission of the Academy to assist in
  prevention of challenges and solution of problems
  faced by the Tajik society using means of
  dialogue
• In late August 2009 the Academy of Dialogue was
  established and started to operate
• The Pilot Religious School operates as a separate
  entity and trains students (32 alumni by today)

8
Projects of Working Groups (2008-2009)

• The Pilot Religious School Working Group 1-??
  introduced the 3-years groundbreaking uniform
  curriculum at a pilot madrassa.
• Guide to Mosque Registration and Seminars
  Working Group 2 upgraded and republished their
  legal assistance manual on mosque registration.
  Educational seminars helped religious leaders and
  civil servants to correctly register mosques.
• Training In cooperation with the Civil Servants
  Training Institute, in order to enhance the
  conflict management capacity of regional/local
  civil servants, Working Group 3 developed new
  teaching material to address the needs of civil
  servants at the grassroots level. A textbook was
  published eight four-day training sessions was
  organized throughout Tajikistan and five
  roundtables in different cities discuss the
  modules.