Islamic Revivalism and Women in Kyrgyzstan: The Case of the Tablighi Jamaat

Since the end of communism, Kyrgyzstan, like other Muslim-majority regions of the former Soviet Union, has experienced an ‘Islamic revival’. Among its manifestations has been a rising number of veiled women. Many of them have joined the Tablighi Jamaat (the Society for Spreading Faith) which provides Islamic teaching (taalim) and organises weekly religious sessions (ijtimas). The chapter examines the ways in which the Tablighi Jamaat has been shaping Kyrgyz women's understanding of Islam and what it means to them to be Muslim. It is particularly interested in the implications of the Tablighi Jamaat's proselytizing among Kyrgyz women for the wider multi-ethnic and poly-confessional Kyrgyzstani society. The study is based on observations, interviews with the veiled women and leaders of women jamaats (communities).