The position of “Propagandist of spirituality” has appeared since April 1 in the staff list of educational institutions and universities of the country. This is stated in the decree of the President Mirziyoev, which reinforces the discourse on the fight against “destructive ideas and information threats”.
From the academic year 2021-2022, all state universities in the country will introduce new academic disciplines in spirituality at the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. For undergraduates, it was instructed to organize training in the specialty “PR-manager” with a corresponding bias.
In addition, in the higher institutions of Uzbekistan and their branches, regardless of the number of students, the post of vice-rector (deputy director) for youth issues and spiritual and educational work is being introduced.
The representatives of the creative intelligentsia, primarily writers and journalists, are invited to move to new jobs. “Work in this direction began more than three months ago, after our President spoke about it at one of the meetings earlier this year. Then they began to talk with each of the members of the Journalists’ Union to draw up lists of applicants,” one of the leaders of the Journalists’ Union of Uzbekistan said in an interview with the Uzbek service of Radio Liberty.
In all regions and cities of the country, “Manaviyat va ma’rifat maskani” (“Places of spirituality and enlightenment”) are being created “in order to strengthen a stable social and spiritual environment in the territories, increase spirituality in the minds of the population, especially young people, and ensure cohesion in families and makhallas”.
The ACCA expert regards this as another step by the authorities in strengthening the so-called ideological immunity, in spirit akin to the educational programs of Marxism-Leninism during the Soviet period.
“There are new bureaucratic posts, like previously the posts of party and Komsomol leaders, structures are being created akin to the Houses of Political Education of the era with lecturers of zero social and social significance,” the expert noted.
Two days after the decree was passed, two anime adherents and blogger Miraziz Bazarov, who advocated the decriminalization of homosexuality, were beaten in Tashkent. It’s now becoming clear that the attacks on people were not spontaneous. The authorities used the Muslim youth in the fight against the phenomena incompatible with the declared national values. Any of their rejection is now regarded as a spiritual sabotage against the country.
Leave feedback about this