“Uzbekistan is the heart of the silk road. For thousands of years, this Central Asian country has been a gathering place for people, products and ideas. The names Samarkand and Bukhara evoke romantic and fairytale images in our collective minds, even though we cannot place them on a map,” Uzbekistan's Tourism Ambassador to the UK, Sophie Ibbotson, wrote for halaltravels.com.
For Muslim travelers, Uzbekistan is a land with a very distinctive appeal. Imam Bukhari, author of the Sahih Bukhari hadith collection was born here; Bahauddin Naqsyabandi, founder of the Naqshbandi order, is buried outside Bukhara; and the tomb of Kusam Ibn Abbas, cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, is in the Shah-i Zinda cemetery in Samarkand. More than 90 percent of modern Uzbekistan's population is Muslim, and its mosques, madrassas, minarets, and tiled mausoleums (maqbarah, graves shaped like monuments) are architectural hallmarks of the exotic country and gateway to Central Asia.
Indonesia's strategic position for Uzbekistan
Indonesia is a strategic market in Southeast Asia and ASEAN that continues to grow and develop, Uzbekistan believes. As the Chair of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Indonesia promotes “Epicenter of Growth” as the spirit of ASEAN, and it leads Indonesia after previously leading the G20. Indonesia is also Uzbekistan's main partner in promoting world values of democracy and good governance, as well as increasing trade and investment cooperation.
Indonesia is home to the world's largest Muslim population of the Ahlussunnah Waljama'ah or Sunni-a school of Islamic theology attributed to Ash'ariah and Maturidiah. The majority of Uzbekistanis follow the Hanafi school of thought, the first school to emerge among Sunnis and attributed to its founding mujtahid, Abu Hanifah (699-767 AD). Meanwhile, the Syafi'i madhhab, which is the majority in Indonesia, is the madhhab attributed to Imam Syafi'i (767-820 AD). The Hanafi and Shafi'i madhhabs are two of the four madhhabs in Sunni, in addition to Hambali, which is attributed to Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (780-855 AD) and Maliki, which is attributed to Imam Malik bin Anas (711-795 AD). The closeness of Muslim identity is certainly an added value that can be utilized for long-term strategic partnerships.
Dutch anthropologist Martin van Bruinessen believes that the majority of Muslims on the silk route - such as Uzbekistan - adhere to the Hanafi school of thought, while the spice route - such as Indonesia - mostly adheres to the Shafi'i school of thought. Martin said this when giving a public lecture at Nahdhlatul Ulama University of Indonesia (Unusia), quoted by NU Online, April 25, 2021. Martin added that the central part of India adheres to the Hanafi school, but coastal India adheres to the Shafi'i school, such as Malebari. Parts of China adhere to the Hanafi school, while Yemen is more Shafi'i. Indonesia as a maritime country through which the spice route passed also adheres to the Shafi'i school of thought.
During a visit to the Central Office of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), in Jakarta, Monday (28/8/2023), Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan H.E. Mr. Muzaffar Kamilov mentioned the importance of collaboration between Indonesia - in this case the Indonesian Ulema Council - and Uzbekistan in various sectors such as Muslim tourism pilgrimages, research, training imams and preachers, to sharing halal standards and experiences related to fatwas. Regarding fatwas, the Indonesian Ulema Council has issued various fatwas as a solution to the problems of the ummah. The MUI Leadership Council has even published a 1433-page thick book by Prof. Dr. H. Hasanuddin AF, MA and Prof. Dr. HM. Asrorun Ni'am Sholeh, MA entitled “The Dynamics of MUI Fatwa in a Decade: A Portrait of the MUI Fatwa Commission 2010-2020” (Republika Books, 2021).
In summary, this book explains in full starting from the mechanism of fatwa work, strengthening the methodology of fatwa determination, as well as the fatwa study thought conference, a 'sunnah' to maintain the academic tradition that is still ongoing today. The character of MUI fatwa is contextual and moderate. Related to the cooperation 'proposal' offered by Mr. Kamilov, MUI can share its long experience in fatwa issuance in Indonesia.
Uzbekistan also sees Indonesia as the largest economy in Southeast Asia and the 10th largest economy in the world. The main components of Indonesia's imports from Uzbekistan are products such as cotton, motor vehicle engines, sulfur, raisins, copper sulfate, potassium chloride, cotton pulp and cotton fiber. Indonesia has made great progress in poverty alleviation, more than halving the poverty rate since 1999, to below 10 percent in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, with more than 270 million people, and is expected to become the world's 7th largest economy by 2030. Furthermore, Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian country that is a member of the G20, which is an international economic cooperation forum.
Bilaterally, Uzbekistan supports Indonesia in many ways, such as Indonesia's candidacy as a member of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (World Heritage Committee/WHC) for the period 2015-2019; Indonesia's candidacy as a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Part III for the period 2017-2021; Indonesia's candidacy as a member of the UNESCO Executive Board for the period 2017-2020 and Indonesia's candidacy as a Non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council for the period 2019-2020.
Uzbekistan's strategic position for Indonesia
For Indonesia, Uzbekistan's location in the heart of Central Asia is very strategic and rich in history and culture. Uzbekistan's economy continues to grow in the region and is a shining force between Europe and Asia. According to the Indonesian Embassy in Tashkent, Indonesia's priority cooperation with Uzbekistan is related to increasing trade cooperation, as a partner for global cooperation, security cooperation, namely counterterrorism, prevention of drug trafficking and prevention of other transnational crimes. Then, the development of parliamentary cooperation and increasing people to people contact.
Indonesia and Uzbekistan have agreed to establish a Joint Working Group (JWG) to maximize the economic relations between the two countries which have great potential. Indonesia is a producer of many tropical agribusiness products such as coffee, bananas, rubber, and crude palm oil (CPO). The increasing use of renewable energy has a positive impact on CPO as one of the most efficient biofuels, according to a Ministry of Trade release on May 25, 2021. Uzbekistan needs tropical fruits such as bananas, dragon fruit, avocados, and coffee for consumption and industrial raw materials. The establishment of sister cities between cities in Uzbekistan and tropical fruit-producing regions in Indonesia is very constructive for relations between the two countries.
Other major exports from Uzbekistan are refrigeration machine components, shortening (solid fat for bread dough), non-woven textiles, black tea, soap, women's clothing, canned tuna, and others. Another potential market is that Uzbekistan is a land lock country, which does not have a sea and therefore often cooperates with a number of countries that have ports such as Russia. Currently, Uzbekistan is planning the construction of a transportation route in the form of a combination of railways and roads from Uzbekistan to Russia and from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan to Pakistan. On this side, the Ministry of Trade release continued, Indonesian construction sector SOEs have a great opportunity to participate in development in Uzbekistan.
In several meetings between MUI and Uzbekistan, Bung Karno's name was often mentioned by Uzbek delegates with great respect. This means that Bung Karno's role in finding Imam Bukhari's tomb in Samarkand was strategic and touched the hearts of the Uzbek people in the long run. Bung Karno had been to Uzbekistan twice, in 1956 and 1961. Imam Bukhori's name is important in Islamic history because he recorded thousands of Prophetic traditions that we read, study, and even memorize today. Imam Bukhari's mausoleum complex is located in the village of Hartang, about 25 kilometers from Samarkand and is one of the tourist destinations for Muslims around the world.
The closeness between Indonesia and Uzbekistan continues today. On December 28, 1991, Indonesia recognized the independence of the Republic of Uzbekistan after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Diplomatic relations were established on June 23, 1992, signed by Uzbek President Islam Karimov during his official visit to Indonesia. On April 8-9, 1995 President Suharto visited Uzbekistan. Indonesia opened its embassy in Tashkent in May 1994, and reciprocated two years later with the opening of the Uzbekistan embassy in Jakarta in December 1996. In general, Indonesia's main interest in Uzbekistan is as a partner of mutual support in regional and international fora and a partner in promoting Indonesian culture and values of democracy or good governance.
Religious Cooperation and Muslim Tourism
The Indonesian Ulema Council needs to build strategic partnerships with religious institutions in Uzbekistan, such as the Moslem Board of Uzbekistan. A delegation of BKSAP and Commission I of the House of Representatives held a meeting with the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, the Parliament of Uzbekistan and the Chairman of the Moslem Board of Uzbekistan to discuss prospects for parliamentary cooperation as a second track diplomacy to realize people-to-people contact on 1-2 May 2013. There was also the visit of the Imam of Istiqlal Mosque Jakarta, Prof. Nasaruddin Umar to Uzbekistan (December 1-7, 2017) to meet the Religious Affairs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
On April 3-8, 2018, a delegation of Commission X of the House of Representatives led by Deputy Chairman of Commission X Abdul Fikri Faqih visited Uzbekistan to discuss the development of cultural tourism, religious tourism and halal tourism. The delegation met with Chairman of the Senate Foreign Policy Committee A. Kurmanov, Deputy Chairman of the Legislative Council Foreign Relations Committee Sh. Tursunbayev, and Chairman of the State Committee for Tourism Development Aziz Abdukhakimov.
In addition, on December 17-20, 2017, a delegation of the Religious Affairs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan led by the Head of the Department of Mosque Affairs of the Religious Affairs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Zulkhaydar Sultonov, visited Indonesia to meet with the Imam of the Istiqlal Mosque, the Chairman of the Indonesian Cement Company, the heads of Hajj and Umrah companies, and representatives of the Naqsabandi order in Indonesia, as well as visiting Indonesian tourist sites. As a country rich in Islamic heritage, there are many destinations that Indonesian Muslims can choose from. Sophie Ibbotson explores these destinations well in her writings. One of the most familiar in Indonesia is the 'Imam Bukhari factor' as a Muslim tourist attraction. Imam Bukhari was born in Bukhara, and buried in the village of Hartang. He has collected thousands of traditions in his famous book, Sahih al-Bukhari. The magnificent Imam Bukhari complex is arguably the most important pilgrimage site in Uzbekistan.
The Madain Project, an online archive project related to Abrahamic History and Archaeology writes that in Soviet times Imam Bukhari's tomb was generally neglected and forgotten. Post-communism, visitation and interest revived, and the complex was restored after rebuilding in the late 16th century. When it was discovered, at Sukarno's request, the condition of Imam Bukhari's tomb was unkempt. But for the sake of Bung Karno's visit, the Soviet leader finally instructed that the tomb be restored and beautified. “In 1961, Indonesian President Sukarno visited Imam Bukhari's tomb in Samarkand. Sukarno made this special request to Nikita Khrushchev during his official visit to the Soviet Union. For the Soviet Union, which was communist at the time, it was not easy to find Imam Bukhari's long-forgotten tomb. The Soviet Union made various efforts to find the tomb of the hadith narrator by collecting information from Muslim parents around Samarkand,” wrote the Madain Project.
In connection with the 1225th anniversary of Imam Bukhari, the Madain Project continued, according to the decision of the Uzbek government, in 1998 a new memorial complex was built on the site of the old mausoleum. The modern memorial complex of Imam Bukhari consists of a mausoleum, a mosque, office buildings and other buildings around the courtyard. The Imam Bukhari complex occupies 10 hectares of land. The entrance to this marvelous sight is taken through a one-story building of baked bricks. The building includes three portal domes with arched passages.
Uzbekistan also offers the Samanid Mausoleum, built between 892 and 943. Its cube-shaped structure is said to have been inspired by the Kaaba in Mecca, but it also features original Zoroastrian motifs. The design of Mazar-e Quaid, the tomb of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Pakistan, was inspired by this building. There are also destinations associated with Bahauddin Naqshbandi, the founder of the Naqshbandi order—one of the largest Sufi orders. The complex around his tomb dates mostly from the 16th century and features several beautifully decorated buildings. Muslims from all over Central Asia come here to pray and listen to religious teachings, although tourists of all faiths are welcome to visit.
Another interesting attraction is the Tomb of Kusam ibn Abbas—the 7th-century bringer of Islam to Central Asia—located in Samarkand. The Prophet Muhammad claimed that his cousin Kusam ibn Abbas resembled him more than anyone else on earth. University of Washington Central Asia researcher Daniel C. Waugh writes that Ibn Battuta was particularly interested in recording important holy sites and his interactions with Muslim religious leaders. It seems significant, therefore, that the only Muslim holy site in Samarkand that he chose to describe was the Tomb of Qutham (Dusty) ibn Abbas, in the Shah-i Zinde complex.
There is also a tomb in Samarkand that is unlike any other. Every morning, writes Rustam Qobil, hundreds of people climb a hilltop on the outskirts of the city to visit the tomb, surrounded by pistachio and apricot trees amid the ruins of the old city. It is the Tomb of Daniel, which is visited by Muslims, Jews, and Christians alike. The sarcophagus of Daniel’s tomb is covered with velvet embroidered with verses from the Quran, and is more than 18 meters long.
Strengthening cooperation
Rustam Qobil wrote “Uzbekistan: Land of a thousand shrines” (BBC, September 16, 2018) that Uzbekistan has a high spirit to make its country a destination for religious tourism for Muslims around the world, thus. That is why Uzbekistan is very enthusiastic about offering tourist destinations there. Uzbekistan was once destroyed during the invasion of Genghis Khan from the Mongols in the 13th century, 1219-1225. Cities such as Bukhara, Samarkand, and Termez were looted by them. The conquest caused most of its historical architecture to be destroyed into ruins.
Ibn Battuta, a Muslim scholar and traveler from Morocco once visited Samarkand, one of the largest and best cities at that time, and noted—as quoted by Daniel C. Waugh (2000): “… there used to be large palaces on the banks (of the river), and buildings that witnessed the history of the noble aspirations of the city's inhabitants, but most of them have been destroyed, and most of the city itself has also collapsed. This city has no city walls, no gates, and there are gardens inside.” Now, after 8 centuries, Uzbekistan has become a famous country again, a gateway to Central Asia.
The strategic and distinctive position of Uzbekistan prompted the MUI Foreign Relations and International Cooperation Commission to create the 'Muslim Tour Uzbekistan' program. An 'intellectual-religious tourism' program takes the form of a pilgrimage in the footsteps of hadith expert imams and Muslim scientists such as Imam Bukhari, Abu Mansur Al Maturidi, Bahauddin Naqsyabandi in the cities of Tashkent, Bukhara, Samarkand, and Mt. Chimgan.
Relations between Indonesia and Uzbekistan need to continue to be improved and strengthened through various cooperation programs. The Indonesian Ulema Council as shadiqul hukumah (government partner) needs to continue to support various Indonesia-Uzbekistan collaborations, be it religious, such as halal fatwas, halal tourism, or educational collaboration with various campuses in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek people, as elaborated by the prominent Uzbek poet, thinker, statesman Nizamiddin Mir Alisher Navoi, are full of high-quality values such as justice, mutual acceptance and generosity, respect for elders, compassion and the desire to help those in need, friendship between nations, contribution towards the prosperity of the homeland, and the importance of educating the younger generation as individuals who develop harmoniously in the world.
"If it is said that heaven can be seen in this world, then the heaven of this world is Samarkand," said the Persian historian, Ata' Malik Juvaini: "If it is said that a paradise is to be seen in this world, then the paradise of this world is Samarkand.” We in Indonesia also believe the same, that a piece of heaven on earth is in Indonesia. Uzbekistan is famous on the silk road, an ancient trade route connecting China and the Mediterranean, and Indonesia is also famous for its spice route that shaped the socio-culture of the Nusantara community. Therefore, it is important for the people of Uzbekistan and Indonesia to explore each other, visit each other, and elevate the main values of both countries.
YANUARDI SYUKUR is an Indonesian writer who is also a lecturer, editor, researcher and speaker at various conferences and expert resource person on several Indonesian television stations and ministries. He has participated in various international programs in Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, the United States, as well as Ukraine. He is an anthropologist at Khairun University who is interested in various global issues. He is currently also active as Vice Chairman of the Islamic and Middle East Research Center (IMERC) of the University of Indonesia and is active in the Commission on Foreign Relations and International Cooperation of the Indonesian Ulama Council. E-mail: yanuardisyukur@gmail.com.
https://www.indopos.co.id/nasional/2023/10/02/memperkuat-relasi-indonesia-uzbekistan/
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