In an article for The Washington Times, David R. Sands writes about how some Turkmen dissidents and human rights activists have suggested that the country’s repressive political regime could give rise to extremist Islamic groups. In particular, Sands notes criticisms made about the regime cultural policies that they believe could cultivate these dangerous tendencies:

“The government’s anti-intellectual campaign - it closed the national academies for science, arts and architecture, while shortening compulsory education from 12 years to nine - is creating an impoverished younger generation susceptible to radical Islamic appeals.”

It is quite unusual for instances of Islamic extremism in Turkmenistan being reported, especially as the country has not previously been noted for vulnerability to such tendencies. Sands’ article does not provide much detail to the allegations of the Turkmen dissidents who attending a briefing on May 26. Among those in attendance were Farid Tuhbatullin of the Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights and Vitaly Ponomarev of the Memorial Human Rights Centre in Moscow.
In view of the slew of international lobbying efforts that have recently been taking place over fears that the European Union could resume trading with Ashgabat, the latest allegations may be intended as a bid to heighten Western fears about the domestic developments in Turkmenistan. Till such time as firmer evidence is available, which will prove challenging to find in light of the Turkmen authorities’ iron grip over information entering and leaving the country, it will be hard to give excessive weight to testimony about what one witness identified in Sands’ article describes as “Talibanisation”:

“We’re seeing the Talibanizing of our youth,” said the dissident, who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation at home. “There’s a growing Islamist movement, and the stability of the country is completely illusory.”