In recent years, alongside other sectors in Uzbekistan, large-scale reforms have also been carried out in the religious and educational sphere, particularly within the system of religious education. Our country has a long-established traditional system for teaching Islamic sciences, and historically, the large number of madrasas and the high quality of education and upbringing provided in them have been highly valued. These madrasas have served not only as centers of religious learning but also as important institutions for teaching practical sciences.
During his visit to the Bukhara region on March 10–11, 2017, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, issued instructions to establish the “Mir Arab” Higher Madrasa in the region. In accordance with these instructions, the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan established the “Mir Arab” Higher Madrasa, which was officially registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan on June 7, 2017. As a result, the number of higher educational institutions within the organizational and legal structure of the Muslim Board increased by one.
The main objective of the “Mir Arab” Higher Madrasa is to train highly qualified specialists with higher education in the fields of Islamic law (Sharia) and the Arabic language, to educate them on the basis of the history and theory of religions, the foundations of Islam, and the ideas of humanism, patriotism, and devotion to the people, as well as to organize education in these areas in accordance with modern requirements. The establishment of this religious educational institution has played an important role in ensuring citizens’ freedom of conscience and their right to receive religious education, and it was carried out in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations.”
At a videoconference held in the city of Tashkent on June 15, 2017, titled “Ensuring Social Stability and Preserving the Purity of Our Sacred Religion A Demand of the Time,” President Shavkat Mirziyoyev put forward a number of proposals. He noted that establishing specialized schools such as a Hadith studies school at the Imam Bukhari Research Center in Samarkand, a Kalam (theology) school at the Imam Maturidi Center, an Islamic law school at the Margilan Research Center in Fergana, a Sufism school at the Bahauddin Naqshband Center in Bukhara, and a Aqidah (creed) school at the Abu Muin Nasafi Center in Kashkadarya would be highly beneficial. These institutions, he emphasized, would serve as a foundation for training knowledgeable imams, Islamic scholars, and experts, and, most importantly, for educating the younger generation in the spirit of the invaluable heritage of our great ancestors and in a sound religious worldview.
Accordingly, on November 8, 2017, scientific schools of “Hadith” and “Kalam” were established in the Samarkand region; on November 10, a school of Aqidah named after Abu Muin an-Nasafi in the Kashkadarya region; and on November 13, a Sufism research school named after Bahauddin Naqshband under the “Mir Arab” Higher Madrasa, as well as Islamic law schools under the Fergana regional branch of the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan. These scientific schools were established in the form of research centers and operate based on the traditional master-apprentice (ustoz-shogird) system of education characteristic of the Bukhara and Samarkand scholarly traditions.
On November 13, 2017, instructions were issued to organize paid training courses at religious educational institutions under the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan. Accordingly, starting from the 2017–2018 academic year, paid courses teaching the Holy Qur’an and Tajwid were introduced in higher and secondary specialized educational institutions under the Board. This became a welcome development for our fellow citizens who have a deep love and interest in the Qur’an.
In accordance with the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated April 16, 2018 (No. PF-5416) “On Measures to Fundamentally Improve the Activities of the Religious and Educational Sphere,” and based on proposals from the Committee for Religious Affairs, the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, and the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, a School of Hadith Studies was established as a higher religious educational institution.
Furthermore, on November 1, 2018, the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan adopted Resolution No. 896 “On Measures to Organize and Support the Activities of the School of Hadith Studies.” In accordance with this resolution, the School of Hadith Studies was established under the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan and officially registered by the Ministry of Justice on December 5, 2018.
The main objectives of the institution include: deeply studying the rich heritage of our great compatriots who made invaluable contributions to the development of Islam and the science of Hadith; reviving and further developing the schools of Hadith founded by them; and training highly qualified specialists with higher education who possess a thorough understanding of the foundations of Islam and Hadith sciences.
In addition, the school aims to prepare specialists who have a profound understanding of the true essence of the Qur’an and Hadith, who have mastered the scientific and theoretical foundations of Hadith studies, and who are capable of conducting academic research in this field. It also seeks to study comprehensively the formation and development of the Hadith studies tradition, to research its scientific and spiritual foundations, and, based on these findings, to convey the noble universal values embodied in Hadiths to the public, especially to the younger generation.
The duration of study at the School of Hadith Studies is five years, conducted in a full-time format, with a bachelor’s degree awarded in the field of “Hadith Studies.” Graduates receive state-recognized diplomas, which are considered official higher education qualifications in relevant religious specializations in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Admission to the School of Hadith Studies is competitive and limited to talented graduates of secondary specialized religious educational institutions who have strong proficiency in the Arabic language and the ability to memorize Hadiths. Graduates of the school may continue their education at the master’s level, as well as in basic doctoral and doctoral programs.
By the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated April 16, 2018 (No. 5416) “On Measures to Fundamentally Improve the Activities of the Religious and Educational Sphere,” and based on proposals from the Committee for Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education, and the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan was established on the basis of the Uzbekistan Islamic Academy and the Tashkent Islamic University under the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Starting from 2025, the Academy was renamed the International Academy of Islamic Studies of Uzbekistan.
The Academy has been designated as an educational and research institution specializing in training qualified personnel in such fields as Qur’anic studies, Hadith, Islamic law, theology (aqidah), Sufism, Islamic economics and finance, international relations, and foreign languages (including Arabic, Persian, English, Russian, Urdu, Turkish, and others), as well as other areas in demand at the international level. It also focuses on establishing a unified system of continuous education across secondary specialized, higher, postgraduate, and professional development stages, conducting in-depth research, preserving scholarly heritage, and providing both religious and secular education.
The Committee for Religious Affairs and the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan provide overall supervision of the Academy’s activities. The state-recognized diplomas awarded to the Academy’s graduates are acknowledged in the Republic of Uzbekistan as official documents certifying general secondary, secondary specialized, and higher education in relevant fields. Graduates of the Academy are granted the right to engage in pedagogical activities in general education schools, as well as in secondary specialized and higher educational institutions, in subjects related to their field of study.
In addition, the Academy has been designated as a leading state higher education and research institution specializing in the training of experts in Islamic studies and religious studies, as well as in the development of curricula, teaching aids, and textbooks.
For reference, at present, four higher educational institutions under the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan are operating in the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Termez. Taking into account that these institutions provide both religious and secular education in accordance with state standards and approved curricula, the diplomas issued to their graduates are recognized as state educational documents. Holders of such diplomas are granted the right to continue their studies within the national higher education system. In other words, graduates are awarded diplomas equivalent to a bachelor’s degree, approved by the relevant higher authority.
Furthermore, granting graduates of these higher educational institutions the right to engage in pedagogical activities in general education schools – teaching the subject “Tarbiya” (Moral Education), and in specialized foreign language schools teaching both “Tarbiya” and the Arabic language – would be fully justified in all respects.
On January 14, 2019, a Center for Advanced Training was established within the Academy, with regional branches in the Republic of Karakalpakstan and the Samarkand, Namangan, and Surkhandarya regions. At the Center and its regional branches, imams (imam-khatibs), their deputies, specialists in the religious sphere, employees of state and public organizations, as well as teaching staff of higher and secondary educational institutions in relevant fields undergo retraining and professional development.
Starting from April 21, 2025, this Center was reorganized into the Institute for Advanced Training and Retraining in the Religious and Educational Sphere under the Committee for Religious Affairs. The Institute has been designated as the body responsible for upgrading and retraining specialists in the religious sector in areas such as Islamic studies, religious studies, the fundamentals of state–religion relations, and the prevention of radicalization.
Following the instructions given by the head of state during his visit to the Surkhandarya region on October 17–18, 2019, the “Imam Termizi” Secondary Specialized Islamic Educational Institution was established in the city of Termez. The institution was officially registered by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan on June 8, 2020 (No. 24). It operates under the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan and trains mid-level specialists in Islamic law and Hadith studies, as well as religious scholars and imams. With the establishment of this madrasa, the total number of secondary specialized religious educational institutions under the Board reached ten, of which eight are for male students and two for female students.
In August 2021, a department titled “Teaching the Holy Qur’an and Tajwid” was established within the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan. This department is responsible for coordinating, managing, and developing Qur’an and Tajwid courses conducted at higher and secondary specialized religious educational institutions, scientific schools, research centers, the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, and the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan. Alijon Qori Haydarov, an honorary doctor of the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan and a holder of ijazahs in several qira’at traditions, was appointed as the head of this department.
Based on the instructions given by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev during his 2019 visit to the Surkhandarya region, a secondary specialized Islamic educational institution was established in Termez starting from the 2020–2021 academic year, and its first graduates completed their studies in the 2023–2024 academic year. As a natural continuation of this institution, the Imam Termizi Islamic Institute was officially registered by the Ministry of Justice on June 20, 2024.
On February 25, 2025, the Law “On Approving the Concept of State Policy in the Religious Sphere and Ensuring Freedom of Conscience of Citizens in the Republic of Uzbekistan” was adopted. The Concept defines the goals, objectives, principles, and priority directions of state policy in the religious sphere, as well as ensuring the constitutional right to freedom of conscience and affirming the secular nature of the state.
The Concept consists of 7 chapters and 41 provisions. It has been developed based on the rich national and historical experience of statehood and universal human values. It aims to ensure a stable environment necessary for sustainable development, promote the interests of society as a whole in a multiethnic and multiconfessional Uzbekistan, and support peaceful coexistence based on democracy, secularism, freedom, equality, social justice, and solidarity. Chapter 6, Section 3 of the Concept is specifically devoted to state policy in the field of education.
The Presidential Decree signed on April 21, 2025, titled “On Measures to Further Strengthen the Guarantees of Citizens’ Freedom of Conscience and to Elevate Reforms in the Religious and Educational Sphere to a New Stage,” is an important regulatory and legal document aimed at systematically advancing reforms in this field to a new level. It outlines key priorities such as ensuring openness and transparency in state–religion relations, strengthening the legal status of religious organizations, and organizing religious and educational activities on the basis of scientific approaches as well as national and universal values.
In addition, the number of research centers engaged in studying and promoting Islamic civilization in the country has increased by one more. A proposal was approved to establish the Bahauddin Naqshband Research Center, founded by the Committee for Religious Affairs, the Muslim Board of Uzbekistan, and the Bukhara regional administration at the Bahauddin Naqshband Memorial Complex. The main objectives of this research center include the scientific study of the high humanistic ideas of scholars of the Naqshbandi order, in-depth research into the history and contemporary significance of Sufism, and the prevention of pseudo-mystical movements.
Within a short period, several major research centers have been established and put into operation in Uzbekistan, including the Center of Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan (2017), the Imam Bukhari (2017), Imam Termizi (2017), and Imam Maturidi (2020) international research centers, as well as the Abul Muin Nasafi Research Center within Karshi State University (2022) and the Bahauddin Naqshband Research Center (2025). These developments represent significant steps toward studying Islamic civilization and preserving the scholarly heritage of our ancestors.
The main goal of state policy in the religious sphere in Uzbekistan is to create equal conditions for the exercise of citizens’ freedom of conscience, to promote mutual understanding and respect among religious organizations of different faiths, to strengthen interfaith harmony, and to ensure religious tolerance and secularism in society.
Anvar Juraev – Head of the department for International relations and development of pilgrimage tourism at the Imam Termizi International Research Center.
