New Publication: Sufism & the State in Central Asia…

Since Islam in Uzbekistan has been trending in the news in the wake of the New York City terrorist attack, I thought I would share my new publication, “Subversives and Saints: Sufism and the State in Central Asia,” in the book Islam, Society and Politics in Central Asia — a wonderful resource at a time when media coverage of the region is so lacking (and often dangerously wrong). This fall, I had the honor of being the expert guest speaker for the Commonwealth Club of California (America’s oldest and largest public policy forum) in Central Asia (Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, along with Azerbaijan) to share my expertise and experience on the Silk Road. I have had the rare opportunity (and pleasure!) to spend extended periods of time in all five Central Asian Republics plus Mongolia (even lived in Turkmenistan twice!). Seeing Islam in Central Asia trending in the media has brought back fond memories of my time living on the Silk Road — and of being a guest of honor in India at a conference on Sufism in India and Central Asia with Ambassadors from Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan.