 Perhaps
one of the most serious problems facing Uzbekistan - a country of 24 million
people - is its growing prostitution rings inside as well as outside the
country.
Uzbekistan, previously known to be a center and pillar of Islamic
civilization throughout many centuries, has never before come face-to-face
with such a crisis of general moral deterioration. Some ten to fifteen years
ago, the term ‘Uzbek prostitutes’ was simply unheard of.
However, today, after eleven years of dictatorial rule under the iron-fist of
President Islam Karimov, Uzbek prostitutes are gaining "fame" inside and
outside the country's borders. Uzbek prostitutes are shamefully seized on a
daily basis in varied circumstances and places, including luxurious hotels
throughout the United States, the beaches of Thailand and Turkey, and even
nightclubs and restaurants in both India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Despite these developments, authorities in Uzbekistan apparently haven't
taken any serious measures to fight this "epidemic". Moreover, the majority,
if not all of the law enforcement officials are customers and pimps for many
of these prostitution rings.
Undoubtedly, the main reasons behind this phenomenon are both the high level
of unemployment and poverty, which the battered economy has inflicted on the
country (most Uzbeks get by on less than $30 a month while doctors and
teachers make as little as $10). This is also largely the result of a Mafia
dominated government that has not been able to set proper economic and social
policies to transform and improve the country’s standards.
Furthermore, central Asian countries in general, and Uzbekistan, in
particular, do not have strict laws that prohibit women from selling their
bodies. In some cases, families in that part of the world are forced to sell
their children in order to survive the miserable economic conditions they are
daily faced with. According to official statistics, Uzbekistan has one of the
worst records for drug abuse and HIV penetration, as well as illegal human
trade.
Following the Soviet occupation at the end of the 19th century, central Asian
nations have all deviated from their traditional Islamic values and rich
heritage. Uzbekistan, not being an exception, had received many blows from
the atheist and despotic Leninist regimes of that time that have led to
radical cultural and social changes over the decades since Soviet rule. When
President Islam Karimov announced Uzbekistan’s independence in 1991, he
annihilated all opposition parties and launched an ethnic cleansing program
against Muslims, killing hundreds of thousands and inflicting on them heavy
losses.
Media reports have recently focused on President Karimov's elder daughter,
revealing the specifics of the relationship between the ruling family and her
former husband - Mansour Maqsoudi. These reports have highlighted ‘shady’
dealings, which the Uzbek government and the President’s elder daughter -
Gulnara Karimova, in particular - have committed.
According to Farkhod Inoghomboev, the daughter's top-aide, who was only hired
after the break-up in 2001 of her 10-year marriage to Maqsoudi, Gulnara
Karimova stands entirely behind the Uzbek sex industry in the UAE.
According to Farkhod, Gulnara's former representative in Dubai, “She has
established many of her firms in the UAE, after controlling most industrial
and tourism establishments in her own country. Among these firms is Unitrend
Tourism, which was established in Dubai in 2003, with Gulnora’s Royal
Holdings being the main shareholder.”
“UniTourism signed a contract with the Uzbekistan National Tourism Board at
the end of 2002, and so was able to monopolize on all visits by Uzbek
nationals to the UAE… any Uzbek national willing to visit the UAE must obtain
an entry-visa through her company, and if they already have a visa, then it
should also be endorsed by the company. In other words, all Uzbeks visiting
the UAE from their own country must obtain prior permission from her company
first” Inoghomboev said.
He added, “Gulnara has given tens of thousands of visas to Uzbek women
who for the most part are prostitutes working in hotels, restaurants and
other recreational venues.” He also added that “many Uzbek women have been
flown to the UAE under false pretenses, only to discover that they will have
to work as prostitutes…I implored Gulnara to leave this alone as it will
eventually only harm her and her country, but she never cared and continued
her work.”
Meanwhile, according to Gulnora’s former advisor, large sums from her tourism
revenues have been transferred to her company and then to her own personal
bank account. When asked by a journalist whether her father was aware of his
daughter's conduct, the advisor replied, “I believe that her father is fully
aware of her business activities.”
Inoghomboev asserted, “I have come to the conclusion that Gulnara likes money
too much without caring about how and where it is made…she is a greedy,
jealous, selfish and revengeful woman.”
 In
the same context, Muslim Uzbekistan website, which opposes Karimov’s
government said in a report aired by the BBC some time ago that the elder
daughter of the President of Uzbekistan has recently gotten married to
Foreign Minister Sadyk Safayev. The report said the marriage was carried out
with complete secrecy at one of the presidential venues near the capital
Tashkent. However, the Uzbek foreign ministry dismissed the news as
"baseless." The minister’s deputy commented, “No wedding took place and the
news report aired by the BBC are baseless.” He accused the British station of
interfering in the private lives of both Safayev and Gulnara. However, the
BBC asserted that it received the reports from reliable sources.
Safayev was appointed as Uzbekistan’s Foreign Minister last May after the
former Foreign Minister - Abdel Aziz Kamlov - was removed from his post.
Analysts believe that Gulnara’s marriage to Safayev carries within it a
political message, as Karimov views him as a likely candidate to succeed him.
The issue of Karimov’s succession has become a significant issue these days
due to the deterioration of his health.
Gulnara was the wife of American citizen Mansour Maqsoudi – chairman of
Coca-Cola in Uzbekistan. The Uzbek President gave him unlimited opportunities
to develop his own business, a gesture that allowed him to surpass all his
competitors in the Uzbek market. These facilities have helped Maqsoudi amass
a fortune estimated at US$ 80 million.
In July 2001, Maqsoudi told his wife he wanted a divorce. Since then,
Maqsoudi, a Mendham Township resident, has not see n his children Islam, 10,
and Iman, 4. A day after Maqsoudi's bid to separate, Gulnara took the
children to Tashkent and has cut off communication with him. Maqsoudi said in
court papers that Ms. Karimova used her influence in their native country to
cripple his businesses there and have three of his relatives imprisoned.
If all the above allegations against Uzbekistan's ruling family are indeed
true isn't it about time to get rid of such corrupt leaders? |
Articles/Opinions
