Leaving Religion in Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is Sunni Muslim as a country. The dominant religious context is: Sunni Muslim majority (~88%, mostly Hanafi) with strong post-Soviet secular legacy; small Russian Orthodox and other minorities; state-managed religion.

Leaving Islam in Uzbekistan carries a different weight than leaving most other traditions. Family identity, community standing, marriage prospects, and in some cases legal status are entwined with religious identification in ways that make a public exit costly or dangerous. The pillar page on Islam was written with safety as the first concern, and applies here.

Leaving in Uzbekistan carries real community cost in a way that the broader Western experience often does not capture. Family rupture is common. Local religious communities are often dense, and stepping out of one is closer to immigrating than to changing a hobby.