Concept of State policy in the religious sphere put up for public discussion

On January 31, at the next meeting of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the draft Concept of State Policy in the Religious Sphere and Ensuring Freedom of Conscience of Citizens in the Republic of Uzbekistan, which was initially initiated by a group of deputies, was discussed. This was reported by the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.  

It is planned to approve this draft Concept by law. As noted at the meeting, the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Law "On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations" have become a solid foundation for guaranteeing the right of citizens to freedom of conscience.  

"The Hajj quota for Uzbekistan has been increased threefold, and the quotas for the Umrah pilgrimage have been completely abolished. As a result, almost 800,000 Muslims have gone to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. Much attention is being paid to the development of the religious education system. Today, 4 higher Islamic educational institutions, 10 secondary specialized Islamic educational institutions, including 2 women's madrasas, as well as Orthodox and Protestant seminaries, operate in Uzbekistan," the report says.  

It is noted that there are cases of the spread of ideas and views aimed at introducing rules specific to a particular religion into social relations, questioning the equal rights of women and men, denying social moral norms, national and universal human values, and restricting the rights to medical services, scientific and cultural achievements.  

"The initiated document proposes to ensure the right of citizens to freedom of conscience and implement the constitutional provisions on the fact that the Republic of Uzbekistan is a secular state, as well as to determine the goals, objectives, principles, priorities of state policy in the religious sphere and mechanisms for their implementation," the report says.  

According to the document, the goal of state policy in the religious sphere is to create equal conditions for the exercise of citizens' rights to freedom of conscience, promote mutual understanding and respect between religious organizations of different religions, strengthen interfaith harmony, and ensure religious tolerance and secularism in society.  

It is also envisaged to establish a parliamentary commission by decision of the chambers of the Oliy Majlis in order to exercise effective parliamentary control over the implementation of the main tasks set out in the concept.  

"The adoption of the concept and the implementation of a single state policy in this area will guarantee the equal rights of citizens, prevent different interpretations and violations of secularism, enhance the potential of the country's population, especially young people, and ensure the unity of the multinational people of Uzbekistan," the report says.  

The draft concept and the draft law on its approval were adopted by the deputies in the first reading, and a corresponding decision was made to submit it for public discussion. The document was published on the official website of the Legislative Chamber.