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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

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.

August 03, 2023

The Hujra Phenomenon: How Do Uzbekistan’s Children Learn About Islam?

By Niginakhon Saida

The apparently increasing number of hujra, clandestine religious classrooms, in Uzbekistan indicates a growing need for formal religious education that is not attainable for many at present.

July 11, 2023

In Uzbekistan, Another Z-Artist’s Concert Canceled

By Niginakhon Saida

Is it over for Russian Z-artists in Central Asia?

July 06, 2023

New Uzbekistan, New Universities, New Problems

By Niginakhon Saida

Reforms in tertiary education have made university degrees more attainable in Uzbekistan, but less valued.

July 05, 2023

The Taliban’s New Canal Threatens Water Security in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan

By Niginakhon Saida

As the Taliban rush to complete the Qosh Tepa canal, Central Asia’s water security is at risk.