An ISU professor’s research project on moderate and militant political Islam in Central Asia may bring about a deeper understanding of the forces that lead to Islam-inspired movements.

Eric McGlinchey, assistant professor of political science, has been working on a comparative study of Islamic movements in Central Asia for nearly one year, with the support of the National Bureau of Asian Research in Seattle and grants from Iowa State.

“Basically, I’m trying to understand what extent Islam acts as a mobilizing force in Central Asia,” McGlinchey said. “My long-term goals are to understand why some Islam groups turn to militant protest.”

The research aims to identify the specific factors that have driven the political Islamic agenda in central Asia in order to allow development of opposition movements where necessary, McGlinchey said.

The project was started last year to follow Islam’s development in Central Asia, said Mahin Karim, assistant director of the Eurasian policy studies program at the National Bureau of Asian Research.

“We’re all hearing a lot about Islam and Central Asia in the media lately … this project is an academic approach to keep the public informed about what the issues are and what’s going on over there,” Karim said.

“Instead of labeling something as terrorism, or radical Islam, we want to know what is driving people to support these types of movements. Is it societal factors? Is it political, governmental, economic or even educational factors?”

He said the way politics are developing in society is not a black and white issue.

McGlinchey said there is an interesting alliance between human rights activists, who are stereotyped as militant radical Islamists, and Islamic religious leaders.

Both groups are pushing for human rights through different tactics.

The study’s objective is to increase the understanding of the region, the dynamics of Islam and what direction it might take in Central Asia, McGlinchey said.

“I want to underscore the fact that Islam is not always fundamentalist in orientation, but can be a liberalizing force in Central Asia, because of the relationship of the human rights activists and Islamic religious leaders,” he said.

McGlinchey said the study is intended to inform U.S. policy makers and the interested public on the issues.

“We’re looking at who the Islamic leaders are, what their influence is in [Central Asia] and what direction their politics are headed,” Karim said. “We’re also interested in what this information implies.”

The National Bureau of Asian Research will be responsible for publishing McGlinchey’s findings in an effort to bring the academic and policy-making communities together, Karim said.

The comparative study is still ongoing, McGlinchey said. He expects to have initial reports later this month, and something ready for publication by the end of March, he said.