Mosques + Computers = Development
Media and Internet, Tajikistan4 Comments
USAID has recently made an interesting development decision by combining computer training with religion. Going through the contractor CHF International, a local mosque will now be coordinating a new computer center.
In Istaravan, the Imam of central mosque has been particularly active with ACTs Economic Opportunity Center (EOC). Concerned over the growing influence of an Islamic group that rejected modernity and sought to re-establish lifestyles of bygone eras, the Imam actively guides and promotes EOC activities to demonstrate the compatibility of religious and modern economic tools. The Imam and the EOC collaborated to establish a computer center as part of the madrassa serving the Istaravan community.
It is unclear from the article, USAIDs website, or CHFs whether or not this represents a broader policy initiative to bolster moderate Islam on the part of USAID, or whether this was an isolated decision made by CHF as a result of realities on the ground.
If it isnt an explicit strategy, maybe it should be. Islam has proven itself extremely adept at filling political vacuums of the variety currently manifesting in Central Asia; strengthening moderates could go a long way toward providing an alternative to more extreme elements in society. According to the project website, however, this initiative is designed to strengthen small businesses and entrepreneurship instead of as a counterbalance to Islamism.
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[...] James of neweurasia writes about a foreign donor-funded computer training program to be run by a mosque in Tajikistan and says that if this is not an explicit strategy to bolster moderate Islam, perhaps it should be. [...]
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Good initiative. Actually, this is one example of what I repeatedly called social Islam, a topic well-debated here with my digital friend Tajikboy. :)
Coming from the aid sector myself, I know that the issue of involving more Muslim faith-based structures and personalities in humanitarian and development efforts in Muslim societies is subject of on-going debate in the sector.
That includes initiative like this one and working more through bona fide Muslim aid agencies (Islamic Relief, Aga Khan Development Network etc.).
Another issue is, that the role of religion (and here it s meant more as a set of social values than a mystic-methaphysical thing) has been largely underestimated. For many, IFIs but also part of the NGOs, ‘development’ mainly means staunchly promoting/imposing Western-secular concepts and values. Yet that strategy has failed.
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[...] Tajikistan: Russian blogger Ailoyros has featured some photos of northern Tajikistan in a recent post (link in Russian). One of the pictures is of the Varzob River, which flows from the mountains to the capital, Dushanbe. On neweurasia, James reports that a USAID-funded project sponsors computer equipment for local mosques and Tajik Boy says that Tajiks are often victims of race-related crimes in Russia. [...]