The Basmachis of the 21st Century
Since the last decade of the last century has been raised the problem of considering the Basmachis as the heroes, praising their manner and behavior, and to announce them as “Great Shahids”. This problem was disputable for the intelligence and scientists as well. Some scientists called the Basmachis the heroes, but some of them announced them as betrayers and traitors. Though, for solving this problem, we have to analyze and research thousands of documents from the both side.
Muhiddin Kabiri – the chair of “nation Satanic Organisation” in his interview told that, Basmachi are the Heroes of the Nation. He said that he is from the third generation of Basmachis.
Those people, who studied during the Soviet Period, hate and dislike the Basmachis very much. But after 1990s some people changed their mind and considered the Basmachis as the heroes. In 1920s there was Civil War in the region. A group of people had struggled for keeping their power, the other one to spread their own power. The Basmachis wanted to keep their power in the region, in this case they a lot of ways, including the bad one.
For example, at the message #353, that has been written by the staff of anti – Basmachi group, said: “The Ergash band, which consist of 800 men, are terrorizing Quqand’s people, have been destroying everything and taking cattle and goods to Bachkir Fortress.”. This document was written on October 19, 1919. How we can deny this reality? In order to keep their power, Basmachi even terrorized their own nation. Then, how we call them, “The Heroes”?
Or the Document #450 from 12/31/1920, which was formalized by Military Commissariat of Khujand Brigade: “The people of Slukta village announced that, if official Khujand don’t do anything against Basmachi, they will join Basmachi groups, because, Basmachis are killing and terrorizing the ordinary people.”
These are just simple examples about the violence and oppressions of Basmachis. Should we, with these behaviors, call them “The Heroes?”
If we see the archives we’ll find thousands of these kinds of documents.
The Basmachi movement was in Central Asia or Western Turkestan. Even the Russian tsar’s army had been joined to this movement. How we can understand it? In 1920s the Russian Tsar’s Army was on power, and after it they became the part of Basmachis. Where is the logic? They tempted ordinary people under the Islam and asked them to join to strife. But nowadays Islamists do the same.
Yunus the Blind (Yunus Burhonov) analyzed the last message of Bukhara’s Amir Sayid Olimkhon, in his Facebook page. People called Amir Olimkhon as “Olim the Cow” because of his ignorance and incompetent. To find the reality from the history is not the affair of political group or party, but it is the job of a group of scients not only from Tajikistan, but from Central Asia or maybe the whole world.
If someone’s ancestors conscious or unconscious joined to Basmachi Movement, it doesn’t mean that they are the Heroes. The Red Army and Bolsheviks also had bad manners, but they were more impartial and righteous than Basmachis. This was for the sake of the ordinary people.
Kabiri or another politician without deep research hasn’t the right of announcing some men hero or traitor.
Rahimov I.