Now, from a city so famous for spiritualism that locals say the sun doesn't shine on Bukhara, it is Bukhara that shines on the sun, Razzokov is spreading his grandmother's message. It is Sufism, an Islamic philosophy heavy on spiritual development. Sufism is part of the mainstream Sunni branch of Islam, to which most Asian Moslems adhere, and Sufism is particularly popular in Central Asia. It's a message that the government of Uzbekistan is gingerly encouraging as a homegrown counterweight to the radicalism of the Islamic militants it is battling. It is also a message likely to infuriate fundamentalists, who regard Sufis as corrupters of Islam and consider their veneration of local saints and pilgrimages to their tombs to be anti-Islamic.
Fundamentalists say such practices detract from the worship of one god.
I think the government sees this as a kind of inoculation. Naqshband's devotees spread his message throughout Central Asia, where millions embrace his philosophy. Fundamentalists preach a strict version of Islam and call for creation of a theocratic state. Naqshbandis agree Islamic law must be followed, but government-appointed Naqshbandi leaders in Uzbekistan don't stress this point. Instead, they point to their tolerance of other religions.