Нурым Тайбек

𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲

𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 22 March 2025

𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: University College London

𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: “𝘊𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳: 𝘋𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘺, 𝘚𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘊𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘴𝘪𝘢” – 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘈𝘥𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘜𝘊𝘓 𝘎𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

A thought-provoking event took place at University College London on 22 March, bringing together students, academics, and civil society leaders to explore shifting global dynamics through the lens of Central Asia. The event was co-hosted by the UCL Kazakh Student Society and the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association. (See the link in the 1st comment.)

Dr Afzal Ashraf examined the breakdown of traditional geopolitical frameworks in what he described as a “post-analytical framework world.” In a wide-ranging reflection on international relations, security, and global order, Dr Ashraf drew attention to the growing disconnect between inherited diplomatic norms and present-day realities, warning: “The rules of geopolitics designed to prevent war were broken—without first being replaced by better, fairer rules.”

Special attention was paid to the 2023 Moscow summit between Presidents Xi and Putin, marking what was described as the public declaration of a “multicivilizational world order”—a concept that rejects the universality of Western liberal norms in favour of culturally distinct systems of legitimacy. Dr Ashraf argued that such changes are already reconfiguring global alliances and financial systems—particularly in Africa and the Middle East—while Western institutions risk becoming irrelevant by failing to engage critically with these developments.

Further remarks challenged the Western military establishment’s reliance on coercive power, linking it to historical failures in Afghanistan, Iraq, and beyond. Warning against the dangers of narrative warfare and covert operations, the address concluded with a call for Central Asian students to become thought leaders: “These are deep, urgent issues. And they require fresh thinking, critical minds, and a refusal to accept inherited assumptions at face value.”

The event also featured a moving and historically grounded contribution from Mr Nurym Taibek, Editor of the Russian Service for the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who opened with an account of his grandfather, Yelubay Taibekov, former Prime Minister of the Kazakh Soviet Republic, who attended the 1957 Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly at Westminster Hall, hearing Queen Elizabeth II speak on the universal values of parliamentary democracy. Reflecting on that moment, he asserted, “Parliamentarism remains the key value which we should aim to achieve in Kazakhstan or Afghanistan, as it guarantees a high level of security and development.”

Mr Nurym’s main remarks focused on his long-standing academic work on Islamic reform, specifically the peace-oriented philosophy of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Drawing from his thesis and monograph, publicly defended in Kazakhstan and later presented at Cambridge University, he argued that the Ahmadiyya movement uniquely reclaims the original spiritual meanings of “jihad” and “caliphate,” stripping them of their political and violent distortions.

He stated:

“Ahmadiyya has completely removed all the misinterpretation in Islamic doctrines and values and has prevented the complete disintegration of Islamic ideology… The Ahmadiyya movement advocates for universal human and inter-religious unity and harmony.”

Despite political obstacles to the formal recognition of his academic work in Kazakhstan, Mr Nurym reaffirmed his commitment to countering extremism through scholarship and peaceful dialogue, declaring that his aim was not a degree, but the prevention of Taliban-style ideologies taking root in Central Asia.

The event reinforced the vital role of Central Asian voices in global debate and highlighted the importance of pluralist thinking in addressing modern crises. As international institutions grapple with escalating global tensions, this UCL gathering served as both a warning and a blueprint – urging the next generation to lead with integrity, critical insight, and cross-cultural understanding.

𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗦

source https://www.facebook.com/1310455088/posts/10235597783507747/?mibextid=wwXIfr&rdid=fMs8yArhinOtEBuh#