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 Bachai Sako [tj] on why people in Tajikistan should not celebrate Halloween today.

Military Parade in Turkmenistan

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 become a standard practice in Sughd. In June, thousands of students were sent to the streets to greet the president's...

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 many people in the country are happy for Chorieva, some have been disappointed over her decision.

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 because the personnel at the airport treat you this way.

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 gives you a glimpse into how pop music is done on this side of the world. Presented by Ivory Pomegranate.

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 them miss the previous adherence to ‘Lenin Bagsh’ (‘Teacher Lenin’).

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 some sort of a performance.

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 Tajikistan, with many internet users and officials describing the representation of migrant workers in the guide as 'insulting'.

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 tell Kazakhs how to feel pride in their background, you’re playing with fire. And it’s not your fire to play with.

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 several documentaries about water problems in the region and explains why this important resource has become a contentious issue in...

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, reactions to the arrangement differ from praising the authorities for a "win-win situation" to criticizing them for a "national humiliation".

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 used in other Central Asian countries, Iran, and South Asia.

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 Dutch documentary about homosexual Muslims, at an international human rights film festival in Kyrgyzstan.