The Stakes of Islam: The Perilous Valley of Central Asia

A film by Karel Procop for Constance Films, Boyard Production and La Sept-ARTE

The Fergana Valley, a fertile plain rich in gas deposits in Central Asia is populated by more than a hundred million inhabitants in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kirgizstan. This film takes an in-depth look at the Islamic fundamentalist threat in this strategic region.

Aided by other Islamic countries, fundamentalists have targeted the Fergana Valley for an "Islamic Republic" because of its wealth and its historical roots in Islam. Making the most of political unrest and economic problems in the young republics, they infiltrate the population, while small military commandos engage in terrorist actions to destabilize the governments and encourage fanaticism. Terrorists entered the region through the high valleys of the Pamir in Tajikistan where drugs, weapons and fighters move along the peaks. This country, still recovering from a vicious civil war, is on the brink of starvation; most are kept alive through several NGO's massive assistance.

The Imam of the Great Mosque of Kokand, the Great Mufti of Tashkent and the Uzbek Vice Minister of Religious Affairs describe the severe repression of Islam during the Communist era. They believe a large rebirth of Islam is taking place, worrying neighboring Russia and China.

52 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Rental $75.