Sofia in Uzbekistan, Recognition and its capacity for Iran

Due to the larger population and the location of Samarkand, Bukhara, Tashkent, Fergana, etc. in Uzbekistan, the country plays a pivotal role in the Central Asian region in terms of civilization, history and culture, as well as politically and militarily and because of that the model capacity of Uzbekistan in this region is very high. Indeed, given the limitation that regional governments often pose against Muslims and Islamic manifestations, opening up space for Islam in Uzbekistan could set a precedent in other Central Asian countries as a practical and successful example. This change in Uzbekistan itself began with the death of Karimov and the beginning of the presidency of Shukat Mirziyoyev. From this year on, the atmosphere in Uzbekistan became significantly wider as Mirziyoyev, after years as prime minister under Karimov, gained the experience that suppressing Islam was not possible in a society like Uzbekistan and would only foster underground and armed activities. In the first year of his rule, 20,000 people imprisoned for membership in Islamic parties and groups were released, 17 mosques were opened in Tashkent alone, and 2,000 religious organizations were registered. All this showed the strong thirst in Uzbek society for Islam and the ancient and civilizational heritage of the Trans-Euphrates region. Undoubtedly, in the coming decades we will see the further growth of Islamic culture and Islamist currents in Uzbekistan, given the deep roots of Islamic civilization in Transoxiana, the approximate Islamic and civilizational currents are likely to grow more pervasively than other Islamist currents, and this will naturally provide a great opportunity for the Islamic Republic of Iran to engage in cultural and even political cooperation with Uzbekistan over time. Due to the open space created during Mirziyoyev's time and the strong interest of the Uzbek people in Islamic culture and heritage, especially the teachings of Islamic mysticism, the Islamic Republic of Iran can play a very appropriate role with the presence of a wide cultural presence in different areas of Uzbekistan.