Present State of Sufism in Kyrgyzstan

Sufi movements have directly influenced the spread of Islam among the Kyrgyz people, and their struggle for independence in later periods, and also their preservation of their own cultural identity vis-à-vis the Russian anti-religious policies. The extensiveness of Sufi activities in the region as well as in Kyrgyzstan in particular today seems to be very limited compared with the past. Yet Sufism can be said to have an influential role in the course of the region’s rebuilding its own cultural identity. This paper presents a general outlook on religious education and Sufism in Kyrgyzstan along with a brief history of Sufi/religious orders there. Also offered in this study is information about the process of the spreading of Sufism and the present state of Sufism in Central Asia, and particularly in Kyrgyzstan.