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Niginakhon Saida

Niginakhon Saida

Niginakhon Saida is a scholar whose research interests focus on gender, Islam, and politics in Central Asia.

Nigina is a graduate of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, where she studied politics and security (Central Asia). She is an adjunct professor at Webster University in Tashkent and teaches political science and sociology related classes. She is also a master’s student at the University of Glasgow in Eurasian studies. Her research interests focus on gender, Islam, and politics in Central Asia. Nigina has a degree in European Studies: Human Rights and Democratization in the Caucasus from Yerevan State University as well.

You can find her on Twitter.

Nigina was a Summer 2022 intern with The Diplomat’s Crossroads Asia section and is now a regular contributor to The Diplomat.

Posts by Niginakhon Saida
June 27, 2024

New Amendments Target Parents Seeking Islamic Education for Children in Uzbekistan

By Niginakhon Saida
If enacted, a new draft law will add fines and possible jail time for parents that seek illegal Islamic education for their children. 

June 05, 2024

Imams in Uzbekistan Asked to Stay off Social Media

By Niginakhon Saida
Uzbek imams and religious bloggers occupy an influential space online in Uzbekistan.
May 14, 2024

Women as Wives: How Uzbekistan’s Justice System Fails to Serve Women

By Niginakhon Saida
Uzbekistan’s judicial system perceives women as wives in domestic violence cases and does not shy away from punishing them for responding to abuse.

April 19, 2024

How Are Patterns of Labor Migration From Uzbekistan Changing?

By Niginakhon Saida
Following the Crocus City Hall attack and a subsequent wave of xenophobia and discrimination toward migrants in Russia, Tashkent has introduced additional measures to support its labor migrants abroad and at home. 

April 15, 2024

Uzbekistan’s Educational Challenge: Scaling up for a Booming Population

By Niginakhon Saida and Sher Khashimov
Can Uzbekistan’s education system accommodate the growing number of students amid rapid population growth?

April 09, 2024

Uzbekistan Aims to Allow Private Medical Institutions to Deliver Babies

By Niginakhon Saida
Child delivery and abortion are among the very few medical procedures that are exclusively conducted by state medical entities. That could change soon.
March 28, 2024

What’s Behind Central Asia’s Umrah Fever?

By Niginakhon Saida
As long as people have limited opportunities in the socioeconomic and political arenas, and adherence to a religious lifestyle is restricted, pilgrimages will remain as an accessible means of self-fulfillment. 

February 09, 2024

Why Is Tashkent Reluctant to Reconnect with Ethnic Uzbeks Abroad?

By Niginakhon Saida
Although there are millions of ethnic Uzbeks in neighboring countries, the Uzbek government does not seriously entertain the idea of building bonds with them. Why?

January 04, 2024

Central Asia’s Water Crisis Is Already Here

By Jahan Taganova, Anna Shabanova-Serdechna, and Niginakhon Saida
What will it take for Central Asian states to sustainably adapt to climate change, particularly the regional water crisis that is already underway?

December 01, 2023

Uzbekistan Takes a Stance Against Promoting or Endorsing Polygamy 

By Niginakhon Saida
While polygamy is illegal in Uzbekistan, having a second (or third) wife is still trendy.

November 03, 2023

Uzbekistan’s Imams Stand in Solidarity With Palestine, Caution Against Propaganda

By Niginakhon Saida
Solidarity with and concerns about Palestine are not a new development among Uzbeks, but there have been a variety of responses to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
September 28, 2023

Measuring the Power and Legitimacy of Uzbekistan’s Islamic Leaders

By Niginakhon Saida
The popularity of religious figures in Uzbekistan is tied to their legitimacy, itself derived from their formal positions within government-affiliated religious institutions.

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