Uzbekistan

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In Uzbekistan, the church is not allowed to evangelize among Muslims

It can lead to three years in prison if a Christian converts a Muslim - but that's not stopping the church, which is currently experiencing an opening in the Central Asian country.

By Magnus Pedersen

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"Something is happening in Uzbekistan these years," says Jasur,* who is a church leader in a church supported by Danish European Mission donors.

Uzbekistan has been trying to attract tourists to the country in recent years. According to Jasur, one of the challenges has been that for many years Uzbekistan was on the Countries of Particular Concern. This is a list kept by the US State Department of countries where they monitor people's rights and freedoms particularly closely. Uzbekistan has been in the company of countries like Saudi Arabia, China, Eritrea and North Korea - and that doesn't help tourist interest.

"In an attempt to get the country removed from the CPC list, the government has released many religious and political prisoners in recent years. It also loosened the pressure on Christians. Evangelization and missionary work among Muslims is still not allowed and the government continues to suppress religious groups. So the situation for the country's Christians isn't ideal, but the pressure on Christians has decreased dramatically, which is great! Some churches have even received official registrations. It's a miracle from God," Jasur enthuses. Although the church as a whole has grown since the turn of the millennium, it had been 20 years since a new church in Uzbekistan last received official government approval. But over a few weeks in the fall of 2019, more permits were granted. That same year, Uzbekistan was removed from Countries of Particular Concern and instead placed on Special Watchwhich is a list of countries with only minor oppression of the population.

"In our church we have official approval. This allows us to do almost any kind of teaching, preaching, worship, youth groups etc. within the church walls. Outside the walls it's a bit more difficult, because it's forbidden to do missionary work. If you evangelize and try to convert a Muslim and get caught, you can get three years in prison, but it's even worse for the church if the pastor does it. It's allowed if the person converts on their own, but then he or she will often have problems with their family. So we can't go out and evangelize, we have to be creative. We can do humanitarian aid such as soup kitchens, orphanage aid, hospital aid etc., but the government controls us and sees where we get the funding from. We can also go to the municipality and get a list of the poor in the area that we can then help. In our area, some representatives of the local authorities walked around with us the first two times. After that, they said they didn't need to check us anymore. They trusted us to help people," says Jasur and emphasizes that it is often through personal contacts and conversations that new Christians discover Jesus as their savior.

But conversions in Uzbekistan bring with them major problems. For one thing, converting brings shame and dishonor to the Muslim's family. Furthermore, lies and stigmatization have led some Uzbeks to be downright afraid of their Christian compatriots. Some also perceive Christians as enemies. However, Jasur believes that prejudices are being broken down as more people are becoming Christians in the country.

"It's not easy to change that, and people are not very democratic here. It is a challenge. But we have a window in these years that churches and Christians must use wisely. We need to show that we contribute positively to society and thus gain more freedom," he says.

Jasur explains that five things in particular can help the Uzbek church in the long run:

"Firstly, Christians need to reach out to the ethnic Uzbek groups. If the church doesn't take root in the Uzbek people, the work is wasted - otherwise one war or one wave of emigration can make the church disappear.

Secondly, it is gratifying that there is a revival in the adult generation these years, and more and more people are coming to church. But if this does not continue to the next generation, the church will be weak in the long run. Therefore, the church must prioritize the work among children, juniors, teenagers and young adults so that they can have a home in the church and learn about Jesus throughout their lives.

Thirdly, there is a need for skilled Christians to be educated and bring Christianity into their campuses and workplaces as psychologists, teachers, journalists, lawyers, police officers and business people. It is good when the church strengthens society, and to do that effectively requires a good education. If Christians in Uzbekistan only have religious skills, they cannot influence society effectively.

Fourthly, Christians must not hide behind the walls of the church. They must go out into society and have a good contact there as active members of sports clubs, associations or in diaconal work. The church needs to get out and meet people. If it sits behind its doors and waits for people to come into the church, it risks looking like a cult.

The fifth and most important thing is that Christians need a strong faith. Because without faith in Jesus Christ, they will be nothing more than good humanists. They need to have faith with them, otherwise they lose the essence of it all," he emphasizes.

"This is the beginning of a new period for the church that will hopefully lead to greater religious freedom in the country and a revival among Uzbeks now and in the future," concludes Jasur, who is part of a generation of Christians who have risked imprisonment for their faith. Maybe the next generation won't have to do that - maybe they can have more freedom to be Christians and to share the gospel among Uzbeks.

*Jasur is an alias that we use for safety reasons.


You can come to Uzbekistan and meet the local Christians. In week 42, the Danish European Mission is organizing a group trip to the Central Asian country, where you can meet the local Christians and see the country's beautiful nature and different culture. 

Read more and sign up here.