A video showing the chief expert of the Committee for Religious Affairs in Uzbekistan declaring that distributing any Islamic material—whether a Friday greeting or anything else—is prohibited by law sparked widespread controversy and heated debate on social media. A few days later, the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan responded. More precisely, it issued a threatening statement that wasn't directed at the Committee for Religious Affairs or its chief expert, but rather reminded people that spreading false information would be punishable by law. In Uzbekistan, distributing any Islamic material, even something as simple as a single "like," has long been considered a crime, punishable by several years in prison. In this country, nothing is considered more "dangerous" than Islamic material!

In Uzbekistan, people can post anything on social media, including obscene, vulgar, and inappropriate content, and express any opinion based on false beliefs, even insulting Islamic sanctities. However, publishing even a few words from Islamic sources is completely impossible, whether those sources are official and state-sanctioned or unofficial and banned. The Uzbek regime tries to justify this by claiming that Uzbekistan is a secular state, but any reasonable person understands that the regime is actually continuing its efforts to eradicate Islam, its beliefs, and its rulings from society—a process begun by the dictator Karimov, who left no trace of it. To this end, it is violating the very principles and laws it itself adopted.

As we have always emphasized to our Muslim people, the goal of freedom of thought and freedom of religion in the capitalist democratic system is not to guarantee Muslims' freedom to practice their faith, but rather to distance them from Islam and its tenets. This was clearly and unequivocally explained by an expert from the Religious Affairs Committee. He stated that in a country where Muslims constitute over 90 percent of the population, Muslims are prohibited from discussing religion amongst themselves, or even from exchanging Friday greetings! In short, speaking about Islam is equated with proselytizing, which contradicts the principles of secularism in Uzbekistan. Another absurd requirement imposed by the Uzbek regime is that anyone wishing to publish any Islamic content must obtain permission from the Religious Affairs Administration, even if the content is taken from an official, state-approved source. Both the Committee for Religious Affairs and the Religious Affairs Administration work to enforce this regime policy. Of course, it is no coincidence that these events occurred during the first days of the holy month of Ramadan. This is because the love and yearning for Islam among Muslims in our country increases during this blessed month, as does their desire to perform good deeds. The regime is intolerant of this and tries to suppress these Islamic sentiments using every means at its disposal. But it forgets one crucial point: any tyrannical and oppressive regime that wages war against the Deen of Allah will face only one consequence: shame, disgrace, and regret in this life and the Hereafter!

Our message to the Muslim men and women in our country is that the events the world is witnessing today indicate the approaching dawn of victory. We are currently living in a time of profound darkness, but it will not last long. Those who hold fast to the religion of Allah, those who are steadfast and patient, will emerge from this darkness safely and with radiant faces toward the dawn of victory, Allah willing. Therefore, hold fast to your faith and do not succumb to the pressures and threats of the oppressors! Your best response to them is to place your trust in Allah Almighty, to fear Him, and to rely on Him alone!

[وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا مِنكُمْ وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ لَيَسْتَخْلِفَنَّهُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كَمَا اسْتَخْلَفَ الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ وَلَيُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمْ دِينَهُمُ الَّذِي ارْتَضَىٰ لَهُمْ وَلَيُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّن بَعْدِ خَوْفِهِمْ أَمْناً يَعْبُدُونَنِي لَا يُشْرِكُونَ بِي شَيْئاً وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ]

“Allah has promised those of you who believe and do good that He will certainly make them successors in the land, as He did with those before them; and will surely establish for them their faith which He has chosen for them; and will indeed change their fear into security—˹provided that˺ they worship Me, associating nothing with Me. But whoever disbelieves after this ˹promise˺, it is they who will be the rebellious.” [An-Nur 24:55]