Russia and the countries of Central Asia are actively developing media dialogue with the support of the Group of strategic vision “Russia - Islamic World”. For example, in November 2025, Russian journalists visited Uzbekistan to meet with their colleagues. Such interaction opens doors to new opportunities, and its value was recognized at the early 20th century by the Bukharan educator Mirzo Siroj Hakim. In his travel writings, he saw Russia as a conduit for progress, thus offering new prospects for cooperation. This was largely facilitated by the author's Jadid worldview — a movement of social thought that originated in the south of the Russian Empire.
Mirzo Siroj was born in 1877 to a Bukharan merchant family. While young Sirojiddin was growing up and receiving a well-rounded education, the ideas of Jadidism — an ideology that sought to combine scientific progress with religious values — were spreading among the Turkic Muslim peoples. Its rudiments first appeared in the pages of the newspaper "Tardjiman" by the Crimean Tatar educator Ismail Gasprinsky.
In 1902, Mirzo Siroj traveled to Europe, then to Iran, and from there, illegally, to Afghanistan. There, he was accused of espionage and imprisoned. A year later, having been acquitted by the Afghan emir, Sirojiddin returned to Iran to study medicine. In 1909, the wanderer returned to Bukhara, where he opened a hospital, pioneering progressive treatment methods, wrote poetry, and ran an educational health column in a daily newspaper.
Mirzo Siroj Hakim's "Gifts to the Bukharans" is a striking literary monument of the Jadid era. The work combines impressions from his travels across various countries with descriptions of traditions and events in Iran, Afghanistan, India, Russia, and Europe. The author not only shares his observations but also advances an important message about the need for reform. Presenting a Central Asian worldview and formally a narrative of travels, "Gifts" is a profound ego-document. Through the narrative, Mirzo Siroj himself is revealed, making the book a valuable source for understanding the ideas and spirit of Jadidism.
Although the book's central plot is devoted to Europe, described as the ideal of progress and a "paradise on earth", the image of Russia occupies a significant place in the work. Mirzo Siroj sees the Russian Empire as a force capable of introducing Bukhara and the entire region to technological and economic progress. He explicitly states that, thanks to Russia, Bukhara will be able to modernize, following the example of such developed imperial centers as Tashkent, Baku, and Tiflis.
The author views imperial power as legitimate and constructive. He harshly criticizes Dukchi -ishan's rebellion, considering the struggle against tsarism foolish. At the same time, Siroj notes that with the arrival of Russia, the economic situation in Turkestan improved dramatically: in Kokand, thanks to imperial rule, trade and agriculture flourished. He also praises the Russians for building modern cities in the desert — Ashgabat and Kyzyl-Arvat.
Thus, for Mirzo Siroj, the ideal of a progressive society embodied in Europe is achievable for Central Asia only through Russia. He views Russia as the driving force that opens the region's path to innovation and prosperity. At the same time, as a person with a clear Muslim identity, the educator doesn't see this as a threat to religious identity. Instead, he links material advancement with spiritual rebirth based on the true knowledge of the Holy Quran.
More than a century later, and in the current geopolitical context, the cultural divide between East and West is becoming increasingly grotesque. The "paradise on earth" described by Mirzo Siroj has turned into a "garden", which, according to former European Union diplomacy chief Josep Borrell, could be invaded by the rest of the world, which the politician called a "jungle". Against the backdrop of such statements, the Russian Federation's external vector, aimed at developing a multipolar world, is more in line with the ideals of progress championed by the Jadid enlightener.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Akhemen/ Creative Commons 4.0