Probably, not every resident of our country can show off knowledge in the field of history of Uzbekistan. Today we know this country mainly by migrants who come to us who are willing to work in the lowest paid jobs.
Meanwhile, this country with its ancient history and culture. Of course, there is the main religion here, Uzbekistan is a Muslim country, although representatives of other faiths can also be found here.
Current state
Today, according to statistics, about 88% of the country's population professes Islam. These are the indigenous people of Uzbekistan, as well as representatives of the Turkic-speaking peoples. Uzbeks are Hanafi-Muslim Sunnis (it should be noted that there are more Sunnis in the Muslim world than Shiites, moreover, these two areas are fighting a fierce battle).
Therefore, to the question of which religion dominates in Uzbekistan today, we can give a confident answer: this is Sunni Islam.
Other denominations
The other faiths here are as follows: Orthodox Christians, represented by Russians who did not leave this country after the collapse of the USSR, by Poles practicing Catholicism (Polish families were exiled to Central Asia in the last century, so they stayed here). There are Bukhara Jews who profess Judaism, as well as their distant ancestors. Adherents of modern Protestant movements are also represented: Baptists, Lutherans, Adventists, and more.
Thus, everyone in this country has its own religion, Uzbekistan, according to the Constitution, reserves the right to freedom of religion for its citizens.
The history of the Christian religion in Uzbekistan
Traditionally, different peoples lived on the territory of modern Uzbekistan. They professed their pagan cults. Since the 5th century AD, Christianity, known as Sogdiana, came to this land. However, it was almost completely destroyed in the Middle Ages, when Islam began to affirm itself.
Only in the 19th century, when the Russian Empire, trying to prevent the capture of these lands by the British and the closure of English expansion at its borders, conquered these lands, Orthodox churches began to open in Uzbekistan. They were intended for the Russians and for those people from the local who want to adopt Christianity. However, these were negligible. And the Russian government, by its tradition, did not restrain its new subjects. In this regard, there were very few transitions from Islam to Christianity.
Therefore, even today the Christian religion is represented so little here, Uzbekistan is a state whose peoples were at first pagans, and then, obeying the will of the khan, adopted Mohammedanism.
Why was Islam adopted here?
We must not forget that the most powerful state of the Middle Ages - the Golden Horde partially occupied the territory of modern Uzbekistan.
Therefore, the Muslim religion was adopted here, Uzbekistan as a state would not have arisen if the great Horde khans had not thought about how they could spiritually cement their country.
A spiritual coup was made by a khan named Uzbek. It was he who abandoned the patrimonial pagan religion, according to which there are many gods who need to be worshiped, becoming the first Muslim in his country.
By the way, there is a legend that our noble prince Alexander Nevsky, knowing that the enemies who attacked Russia are pagans, tried to persuade the Khan of the Horde to adopt Christianity. However, the khan’s retinue, having learned about the intentions of the Russian prince and not accepting Christianity for his overly merciful attitude towards people, poisoned the great Russian commander and diplomat.
Who knows, if Alexander Nevsky had succeeded in accomplishing his plan, would there now be such a country on the world map called Uzbekistan, whose religion is now unchanged?
History of Uzbek
So, Khan Uzbek, who later took on the Islamic title of Sultan Giyas ad-Din Muhammad, lived in the early 14th century. He was the most famous Khan of the Golden Horde, significantly strengthening the power of the state.
The religion of Uzbekistan before Islam is a mixture of tribal beliefs and traditional cults that impeded the development of the Golden Horde. It was urgent to do something. And Khan Uzbek realized that he had to make a serious choice in his life.
The fact is that Uzbek was not a direct recipient of the Horde throne. He seized power by killing the legitimate heirs of the throne.
Khan was helped by those who dreamed of the Islamization of this region. A fierce struggle began for the religious future of the country, in which not supporters of the clan religion, but supporters of the Muslim horde won. By the way, Islam has always been victorious with fire and sword, since its appearance in the 6th century AD (even Muhammad was a good commander, and there is no need to talk about 4 great viziers). Islam adopted Islam in 1320.
Resistance to his decision among the Tatar-Mongol elite was huge. So, he had to execute about 120 of his direct relatives from the Genghisids, in order to establish a new faith.
The desire to make their subjects faithful was dictated by the pragmatic interests of the khan. He strove at all costs to strengthen his power. Who knows, did he think that after many centuries the country Uzbekistan, whose religion would be so close to him, would be called his name?
Islam today
Today, Central Asia is a zone of tension. This is due to the fact that bloody events are occurring next to it, heavily implicated in the heretical teaching, which claims to be the role of true Islam. This teaching is called Wahhabism. It is professed by members of the sect, better known as ISIS. The members of this sect seek to conquer all nations, retraining them in their own way. Central Asia presents a tidbit for them. Therefore, the problem, which consists of three components: "Uzbekistan - religion - Islam" is currently more relevant than ever.