The historical role of Islam in the public life of the Central Asian region of the CIS in the XX - XXI centuries

The article is devoted to the historical and contemporary aspects of Islam in Central Asia. It shows the confessional policy of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union in Turkestan. The document proves that this policy was based on a combination of "hard" and "soft" management techniques and concludes that regional policies contributed to the transformation process in Central Asia. Furthermore, the article shows the role of Islam in regional modernization processes and the author identifies the key elements of the religious situation in the region, showing the main religious groups in the local Islamic communities. The paper notes the features of government policy in Central Asia in regard to Islam.