\"Uzbekistan is one of the recognized centers of the formation and development of Islamic culture and philosophy,\" the President of the American-Turkish Association Abdulla Khwaja wrote in his letter in response to the fact that Uzbekistan was listed by the US Department of State among the \"Countries of Particular Concern\" (CPC) for alleged violations of religious freedom. In his letter, Mr. Khwaja particularly draws attention to the fact that religious holidays Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha are official national holidays in Uzbekistan, and that every year over 50,000 Uzbeks receive government support in making pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina.

\"Following the independence Uzbekistan has faced an upsurge of religious extremism and fanaticism. But the country\'s government took a trenchant position in combating them and managed to sustain security and stability. For this, Uzbekistan should be praised and supported, not criticized.

The first Islamic University in Central Asia was established in Tashkent in September 1999. Over the last 15 years, some 2,000 mosques have been built and reconstructed, and 10 madrasahs have been opened in the country.

In today\'s Uzbekistan, Islam peacefully coexists with other religions.

The representatives of 18 religious confessions freely perform their religious ceremonies and rites. The people of Uzbekistan, in view of their historical-cultural heritage, have always stood out for high degree of tolerance. The decision of the US Department of State absolutely ignores these factors and is based on biased judgments,\" Abdulla Khwaja wrote.

The members of the Congress of Bukhara Jews of the US and Canada have also responded to the decision of the US Department of State. In particular, in their messages, the President of the organization Boris Kandov, and the leader of the Bukharian Jewish community in Queens, Rabbi Yitzhak Yehoshua note that the US Department is mistaken in its conclusion, which is based on incorrect understanding and interpretation of the real situation in Uzbekistan.

\"Our contacts with the members of our community residing in Uzbekistan attest to the absence of any incidents of the infringement of rights or restriction of the activity of religious organisations, including Jewish,\" the letter says. \"We state with all responsibility that inter-religious and intercultural tolerance has always been a distinguishing feature of the Uzbek society. It would not be an exaggeration to say that, as regards the support of inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, Uzbekistan can be placed among the most tolerant societies of the world.

We highly appreciate Uzbekistan Government\'s constant attention to and respect of the religious, cultural values and traditions of Bukharian Jews\' community residing in Uzbekistan.

We believe that behind the allegations of infringement of religious freedom in Uzbekistan lies the obvious interest of certain circles, trying to delude the world community by giving rise to misleading inferences.\"

According to the Head Imam (Imam-Muhtasib) of Riga Muslims Society Midhat Satdanov, the conclusions and statements of the US State Department are simply the evidence of the fact that the latter does not possess objective information about the real status of the faithful in Uzbekistan.

\"The members of our community and Uzbek Diaspora keep close contracts with their historical homeland,\" said Satdanov. \"We know that the Government of Uzbekistan pays strong attention to supporting not only Muslim, but also other religions. We are aware of the fact that the number of Uzbek citizens making pilgrimage to Holy places is growing from year to year.

Uzbekistan is one of the recognized centers of the formation and development of Islamic culture and philosophy. Work is being done in the country to study and preserve rich spiritual heritage of the nation. For this particular purpose, for the first time in the Post-Soviet space an Islamic University was opened in Tashkent on the initiative of President Karimov.

I would also like to note on the fact that the US Department of State\'s report does not contain a single word about the caricatures of the prophet Muhammad published in some of the European countries. This also illustrates America\'s biased policy in relation to \"disfavored\" countries.\"

\"We, the Uzbeks, residing in Latvian Republic, were shocked by the fact that Uzbekistan was listed among the CPC countries,\" the President of the Nur Uzbek Cultural Society in Latvia Bahriddin Sindorov wrote in his letter. \"We keep track of all the events taking place in Uzbekistan, and keep contacts with our historical homeland. Not less then the US Department of State are we aware of the situation in Uzbekistan. I visited Uzbekistan in September and personally witnessed the large-scale constitutional reforms being implemented by Karimov\'s administration and intended to develop democracy and multi-party system in the country.

We strongly support the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan published in response to the inclusion of the country into the CPC list.\"

Uzbekistan seeking Singapore\'s cooperation to develop market economy