The complex reality of
radicalisation in Central Asia
An interview with Bhavna Davé, a senior lecturer in Central
Asian politics with the department of politics and international
studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University
of London. Interviewer: Agnieszka Pikulicka-WilczewskaAGNIESZKA PIKULICKA-WILCZE-
WSKA: Do we have any data on the num-
ber of citizens of Central Asian countries
currently in the ranks of the Islamic State?
BHAVNA DAV É: I think that it is not
so easy to compile such data and if you
are asking about the exact numbers – I do
not know. But to me, the numbers are a
secondary issue. It is much more impor-
tant to define what we mean by radical-
isation and how we understand it. Sec-
ond, we should put the number of Central
Asians joining ISIS in perspective, in
the context of the number of people
from other regions and other countries.
So what does radicalisation mean in the
context of Central Asia?
I think that the term radicalisation
has been used and abused in many dif-
ferent ways to serve specific political and
ideological interests. One key indicator
of people from the Central Asian region
supporting ISIS is to ascertain the num-
ber of people who have left their home
or the places where they live in order to
join specific transnational movement
elsewhere. But of course there are other
criteria, such as support for very specific
radical interpretations of Islam, which
may have a loose relation with Islamic
teachings and which find certain solu-
tions and strategies within the context of
Islam to address the causes of injustice,
corruption, lack of values and morality.
If we accept such a definition we can
certainly agree that there is a current of
radicalisation that is evident across the
globe, not only in Central Asia. Central
Asia, in my opinion, is no more or less
vulnerable to these influences than other
regions in the Muslim world.
Moreover, we can talk here about
Central Asia or about Central Asians
living outside of their countries. In Cen-
tral Asian states, namely Kazakhstan,