The Diplomat | Author
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.
May 07, 2025
Inside Uzbekistan’s Private University Boom
By Bakhrom Mirakilov and Niginakhon Saida
Can private universities in Uzbekistan truly solve the growing demand for higher education, or will they become profit driven diploma-mills?
April 26, 2025
Uzbekistan’s Struggle to Regulate Privately Organized Muslim Pilgrimage Tours Continues
By Niginakhon Saida
Amid growing reports of fraud, poor service, and legal cases involving thousands of stranded pilgrims, Tashkent continues to introduce new regulatory measures.
April 15, 2025
Why Uzbekistan Continues to Push for Engaging With Afghanistan
By Niginakhon Saida
Tashkent sees stability in Afghanistan as essential for the security and stability of the broader Central and South Asian region.
March 12, 2025
Will Uzbekistan’s 31-Year Effort to Join the WTO Finally Pay Off?
By Niginakhon Saida and Oybek Saidkhodjaev
With one year left until the targeted WTO membership deadline, what could success bring?
February 13, 2025
Uzbekistan’s Corruption Crackdown: Progress or Perpetual Crisis?
By Kodir Kuliev and Niginakhon Saida
Despite a surge in anti-corruption efforts, systemic fraud and bribery remain deeply embedded in Uzbekistan’s governance. With thousands of officials facing charges yet minimal consequences, is real change on the horizon?
February 04, 2025
Chess, Culture, and Controversy: Uzbek Grandmaster’s Handshake Refusal Sparks Debate
By Niginakhon Saida
Islamic practices in Uzbekistan, after enduring seven decades of Soviet-imposed atheism, are now being increasingly adopted by the younger generation.
December 17, 2024
Uzbekistan Moves to Protect Rights of Uzbek Citizens in Russia
By Niginakhon Saida
As the Ukraine war drags on, Central Asian nationals, including Uzbeks in Russia – particularly those in Russian prisons – are increasingly vulnerable. Can Tashkent protect their rights?
December 02, 2024
How Do Uzbek Men Kill Women? Impulsively, Brutally, and Often at Home
By Niginakhon Saida and Svetlana Dzardanova
In Uzbekistan, women are often killed by men close to them – intimate partners and family members – and usually at their own homes, a space meant to be safe. Here is what our recent research reveals.
November 05, 2024
Russia Still a Cold Front for Central Asian Migrants
By Niginakhon Saida
Do Russian demands for stricter measures against labor migrants mark a shift in Moscow’s relationship with Central Asia?
October 28, 2024
A Close Call in Tashkent: Allamjonov Survives Assassination Attempt
By Niginakhon Saida
Allamjonov stepped down last month from his post in Uzbekistan’s Presidential Administration. A suspect has been arrested but authorities have not commented on a motive.
October 18, 2024
Pushed to the Edge: Why Women Kill in Uzbekistan
By Niginakhon Saida
Women commit far fewer murders than men in Uzbekistan. It’s important to understand who, why, and how they kill.
October 02, 2024
Central Asia’s War on Hijab
By Niginakhon Saida and Svetlana Dzardanova
As Central Asian governments tighten restrictions on the hijab in the name of upholding secularism, devout Muslim women find themselves forced to navigate an increasingly difficult choice between their faith and the law.
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