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Paper abstract:

Jamilya, a young pious woman around 30, received her religious education at the local Islamic institute (Mahmoud Kashgari Barskani Oriental University Mahmoud Kashgari Barskani University) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Jamilya belongs to the category of invisible but intimate Islamic activists. Through social media (Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok), she offers courses on self-care, self-mastery and other means to many pious women, which have contributed to the emergence of new forms of religious collectives of Muslim women in Kyrgyzstan. Jamilya is member of religious non-governmental organisations, Islamic institutions and humanitarian aid and funding assocation. Contrary to the discussion that the sources of humanitarian aid or NGOs come from Turkey, Saudi Arabia or Iran, Jamilya and her colleagues generate funding locally from business people and in some cases migrants in Russia. Based on this woman, the presentation will be accompanied by a short ethnographic documentary film about the activities of pious women in Kyrgyzstan, especially in the context of the pandemic.

It is no surprise then that when borders closed and lockdowns came into place in the wake of Covid-19, this part of the world was struck particularly hard. During the pandemic, volunteers from Kyrgyzstan as well as from other Central Asian countries were frequently in the news. However, my informants indicated that they understood the importance of religious communities especially in the times of COVID-19, when there was no support from local government and they had to rely on themselves. The COVID-19 pandemic actually strengthened various religious networks and movements. For example, the local female religious community helped pregnant women with food, paid or negotiated with apartment owners for tenants to pay less or nothing, and food was distributed to all who were housebound. Many religious community female leaders worked on a volunteer basis. Thanks to the strict written record of the names of the female group members held by religious female leaders and Whatsapp connection, it was possible to reach almost everyone. My presentation contributes to a new discourse on Islamic civil society, NGOs and the perspectives of such Islamic organisations in Central Asia, but my presentation provides a women's perspective, by giving voices to women themselves and sharing their own experiences. Secondly, I will contribute by showing an ethnographic documentary, and provoke discussion about new sources of funding that are generated locally rather than being transported from other Ismalic countries, and about new contested ideas about Islam that are generated locally.