From July 7 to 11, 2026, Uzbekistan hosted a landmark event titled “The First International Islamic Forum: Islamic Civilization — The Path of Peace, Tolerance, and Enlightenment,” held across three Uzbek cities of special historical significance: Tashkent, Samarkand, and Termez.
A Symbolic Opening in the Heart of Tashkent
The forum opened on July 7 at the Center for Islamic Civilization in the capital, Tashkent, under the patronage of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. It was organized jointly by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Center for Islamic Civilization in Uzbekistan, and brought together roughly 300 speakers from more than 40 countries around the world, including ministers, muftis, scholars, thinkers, and experts.
The opening session featured a televised address by the Secretary-General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, alongside the participation of several ministers and representatives of member states of international Islamic organizations.
Three Cities, Three Scholars
One of the forum’s most distinctive features was that it extended beyond Tashkent to Samarkand and Termez, where specialized academic conferences were held, each dedicated to one of the region’s great scholars:
- In Samarkand, a conference titled “Imam al-Bukhari’s Sahih al-Bukhari: The Book of the Nation” was held at the Imam al-Bukhari memorial complex, examining al-Bukhari’s legacy and the role of his Sahih in global scholarship. A separate conference was devoted to the legacy of Imam al-Maturidi, focusing on the philosophy of moderation in Islam and the balance between reason and faith in confronting extremism.
- In Termez, a conference examined the legacy of Imam al-Tirmidhi, with a focus on Islamic ethics, literary culture, and spiritual and moral education.
The Egyptian Minister’s Message: A Civilization of Production, Not Preservation Alone
Among the prominent participants was Dr. Abdelaziz Kounsowah, Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and President of ICESCO’s General Conference, who stressed that throughout its history, Islamic civilization had been “a civilization of knowledge production, not merely one of preservation,” noting that its schools, universities, libraries, and observatories generated contributions that laid the foundation for human progress in medicine, engineering, mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, and the humanities. He emphasized that today’s responsibility lies in redeploying this civilizational legacy as a pillar for building more creative educational systems and a more competitive knowledge economy.
The Tashkent Declaration: From Words to Institutions
At the conclusion of the forum, the “Tashkent Declaration” was adopted, containing several significant initiatives:
- Recognition of the historic role of Uzbekistan and the wider Transoxiana region in shaping and developing Islamic and global civilization.
- The launch of Global Initiatives of the First International Forum on Islamic Civilization, aimed at establishing a new international framework for cooperation in studying, preserving, and promoting the Islamic civilizational heritage.
- The establishment of the International Prize for Islamic Civilization, recognizing outstanding contributions to studying, preserving, and promoting this heritage.
- Agreement to establish the International Foundation for Islamic Civilization Research, to support fundamental scientific research, restoration of historical sites, and training of early-career researchers.
- Adoption of the International Council of the Forum as a permanent coordinating body for future sessions.
- Adoption of a roadmap for the development of the Uzbekistan Center for Islamic Civilization for 2027–2030.
- A letter of gratitude sent by participants to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
What the Event Signifies
With this forum, Uzbekistan moved beyond simply restoring its scientific and religious heritage. It entered a new phase in which it seeks to transform that heritage into a permanent international platform for civilizational dialogue and scholarly research — through institutions, prizes, and coordinating councils designed to sustain the project for years to come.
From July 7 to 11, 2026, Uzbekistan hosted a landmark event titled “The First International Islamic Forum: Islamic Civilization — The Path of Peace, Tolerance, and Enlightenment,” held across three Uzbek cities of special historical significance: Tashkent, Samarkand, and Termez.
Toshkent qalbidagi ramziy ochilish
Forum 7-iyul kuni poytaxt Toshkentdagi Islom Sivilizatsiyasi markazida, O’zbekiston Prezidenti Shavkat Mirziyoyev homiyligida o’z ishini boshladi. Uni Islom dunyosi ta’lim, fan va madaniyat tashkiloti (ISESCO) hamda O’zbekiston Islom Sivilizatsiyasi markazi hamkorlikda tashkil etdi. Forumda dunyoning 40 dan ortiq mamlakatidan taxminan 300 nafar ma’ruzachi — vazirlar, muftiylar, olimlar, mutafakkirlar va ekspertlar — ishtirok etdi.
Ochilish marosimida Butunjahon Musulmonlar Ligasi Bosh kotibi, shayx doktor Muhammad ibn Abdulkarim al-Iso televizion murojaat bilan chiqdi, unga bir qator vazirlar va xalqaro islom tashkilotlariga a’zo davlatlar vakillari qo’shildi.
Uch shahar — uch alloma
Forumning eng o’ziga xos xususiyatlaridan biri shundaki, u faqat Toshkent bilan cheklanib qolmadi — Samarqand va Termizga ham kengaydi, u yerda mintaqaning har bir buyuk allomasiga bag’ishlangan ixtisoslashgan ilmiy konferensiyalar o’tkazildi:
- Samarqandda Imom al-Buxoriy xotira majmuasida “Imom al-Buxoriyning ‘al-Jomi’ as-Sahih’ kitobi — ummat kitobi” mavzusidagi konferensiya bo’lib o’tdi, unda Imom al-Buxoriy merosi va uning “Sahih”ining jahon ilmidagi o’rni muhokama qilindi. Yana bir alohida konferensiya Imom al-Moturidiy merosiga bag’ishlandi, unda islomda mo’tadillik falsafasi va ekstremizmga qarshi kurashda aql bilan e’tiqod muvozanati masalalariga e’tibor qaratildi.
- Termizda Imom at-Termiziy merosini o’rganishga bag’ishlangan konferensiya bo’lib o’tdi, unda islom axloqi, adabiy madaniyat hamda ruhiy-axloqiy tarbiya masalalariga e’tibor qaratildi.
Misr vaziri xabari: saqlash emas, ishlab chiqarish sivilizatsiyasi
Taniqli ishtirokchilar orasida Misr Oliy ta’lim va ilmiy tadqiqotlar vaziri, ISESCO Bosh konferensiyasi raisi doktor Abdulaziz Qunsava ham bor edi. U islom sivilizatsiyasi butun tarixi davomida “shunchaki bilimni saqlab qolish emas, balki bilim ishlab chiqarish sivilizatsiyasi” bo’lganini ta’kidladi, uning madrasalari, universitetlari, kutubxonalari va rasadxonalaridan chiqqan hissalar tibbiyot, muhandislik, matematika, astronomiya, falsafa va gumanitar fanlar taraqqiyotiga asos bo’lganini bildirdi. U bugungi mas’uliyat — bu merosni yanada ijodiy ta’lim tizimlari va raqobatbardosh bilim iqtisodiyotini qurish uchun qayta ishga solishdan iboratligini ta’kidladi.
Toshkent bayonoti: so’zlardan muassasalarga
Forum yakunida “Toshkent bayonoti” deb nomlangan hujjat qabul qilindi, unda bir qator muhim tashabbuslar mujassam edi:
- O’zbekiston va kengroq Movarounnahr mintaqasining islom va jahon sivilizatsiyasini shakllantirish va rivojlantirishdagi tarixiy roli tan olindi.
- Islom sivilizatsion merosini o’rganish, saqlash va targ’ib qilish sohasida yangi xalqaro hamkorlik doirasini yaratishga qaratilgan Islom Sivilizatsiyasi bo’yicha Birinchi Xalqaro Forumning global tashabbuslari e’lon qilindi.
- Bu merosni o’rganish, saqlash va targ’ib qilishdagi ajoyib hissalarni taqdirlash uchun Islom Sivilizatsiyasi xalqaro mukofoti ta’sis etildi.
- Asosiy ilmiy tadqiqotlarni, yodgorliklarni ta’mirlashni va yosh tadqiqotchilarni tayyorlashni qo’llab-quvvatlash uchun Islom Sivilizatsiyasi tadqiqotlari xalqaro fondini tashkil etishga rozilik berildi.
- Kelgusi sessiyalar uchun doimiy muvofiqlashtiruvchi organ sifatida Forumning xalqaro kengashi tasdiqlandi.
- O’zbekiston Islom Sivilizatsiyasi markazini 2027–2030-yillarda rivojlantirish yo’l xaritasi qabul qilindi.
- Ishtirokchilar Prezident Shavkat Mirziyoyevga minnatdorchilik xati yo’lladilar.
Tadbirning ma’nosi
Ushbu forum bilan O’zbekiston endi shunchaki o’zining ilmiy va diniy merosini tiklash bilan cheklanib qolmadi — u bu merosni muassasalar, mukofotlar va muvofiqlashtiruvchi kengashlar orqali kelgusi yillar davomida davom etadigan doimiy xalqaro sivilizatsion muloqot va ilmiy tadqiqot platformasiga aylantirishga qaratilgan yangi bosqichga o’tdi.
