Latest posts by Alexander Sodiqov from October, 2012
Halloween an ‘Alien’ Holiday in Tajikistan
We should teach the younger generation that Halloween is alien to Tajiks and all Muslims. Proud Tajik boys and girls who love their nation should never celebrate alien holidays. Blogger...
Tajikistan: Students Forced to Love President
As the president of Tajikistan tours the country's northern province of Sughd, blogger Teocrat reports [ru] that thousands of students were mobilized to greet the president wherever he goes. This has...
Tajikistan's ‘Million Dollar Baby’ Hangs Up Her Gloves
Mavzuna Chorieva, Tajikistan's female boxer who brought the country its only medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, has married and hung up her gloves, at least for a year. While...
Central Asians Treated ‘Like Crap’ at Moscow Airport
I realized that once you find yourself at [the Moscow airport] Domodedovo, you start feeling like you are [crap]. And you feel so not because you are actually [crap], but...
Kazakhstan: Misused National Symbols
People should be punished for displaying the coat of arms on garbage trucks and for using the national flag as a construction tool or toy bag.
Kyrgyz Music Fridays
Kyrgyz Music Friday is a weekly feature in which I post a pop music video from an artist in Kyrgyzstan… [It] is not trying to appeal to your musical taste, but simply...
Mongolia: Goodbye, Lenin
The last bronze statue of Vladimir Lenin in Ulan-Bator, the capital of Mongolia, was recently taken down. Alec Metz on Registan.net explains what this means to Mongols and why many of...
Kyrgyzstan: Bride-Kidnapping Prevented
You know what shocked me most of all? The people in the street. They were just standing there and watching [an attempt to kidnap a girl], as if it was...
Tajikistan: Russian ‘Migrant Guide’ Deemed Insulting
A new 'migrant worker's guide' to the city of St. Petersburg depicts foreign labor migrants as brooms, paint brushes, trowels, and paint rollers. The leaflet has provoked widespread anger in...
Kazakhstan: The Accidental Nationalist
To Son Pascal, I say that if you really believe that Kazakhs should stop using Russian language in favor of Kazakh, if you really feel that you, a foreigner, can...
Turkmenistan: Build Athletes, Not Stadiums
My countrymen appreciate the new [sports] infrastructure..., but they generally feel that what really needs to be built aren’t facilities, but actual athletes.
Central Asia's Water Stories
How is it possible that in Central Asia, a region with abundant water resources, safe drinking water is still a luxury for many people? On his blog, Bakhrom Mananov features...
Tajikistan: Mixed Reactions Over Russian Base Deal
Russian President returns from a visit to Tajikistan with a deal that extends Moscow's lease on its military base in the Central Asian country for another three decades. Within Tajikistan,...
Turkmenistan: An Introduction to Dutar
One can’t think of Turkmen art and culture without thinking about the dutar. Khan on the NewEurasia.net blog offers an ‘introduction’ to the traditional musical instrument that is also widely...
Kyrgyzstan: ‘I Am Gay and Muslim’ Banned
How is this possible that a movie title angered so many people? Kyrgyz blogger reacts [ru] to a recent court ban on the screening of “I Am Gay and Muslim,” a...
