Achilov and Shaykhutdinov State Regulation of Religion and Radicalism 17 Problems of Post-Communism, vol. 60, no. 5, September–October 2013, pp. 17–33. © 2013 M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved. Permissions: www.copyright.com ISSN 1075–8216 (print)/ISSN 1557–783X (online) DOI: 10.2753/PPC1075-8216600502 Analysis of state regulation of Islam in post-communist states shows that tolerant policies are associated with lower levels of religious radicalism, whereas restrictive policies appear to exacerbate the level of extremism. State Regulation of Religion and Radicalism in the Post- Communist Muslim Republics Dilshod Achilov and Renat Shaykhutdinov DILSHOD ACHILOV is assistant professor of political science at East Ten- nessee State University. RENAT SHAYKHUTDINOV is associate professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University. S INCE the collapse of the USSR, the Muslim-majority post-Soviet republics have experienced a major social transformation driven by religious revival after many years of strict secular Soviet rule. Given that the Islamic resurgence has had and will probably continue to have profound social, political, and strategic consequences, understanding the evolving dynamics of state regulation of religion and Islamic revival remains vital (Berman 2003). Although “Islamic resurgence” refers to a range of related but distinct phenomena, it is seen as a potent social and political force that, in its extreme form, may lead to “the possibility of a mass uprising against central political authority” in the Muslim world and, therefore, “gives alarm” (Heper 1981, 346). Specifically, political groups and individuals associated with the Islamic revival present a challenge to the status quo because of their politics—in many instances targeting their authoritarian regimes. Using a “trial and error” method to come up with “a formula with which to counter the ‘threat’ posed to their rule by Islamist opposition,” the authoritarian political establishments in the Muslim-majority states have often sought to contain the real or perceived threat of Islam (Hafez 2003, 4). Despite extreme examples of outright repression inflicted by the governments on Islamic or Islamist opposition, as in Syria in 1982 and in Algeria since 1992, various degrees of political inclu- sion and accommodation can be observed in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan, among other places. A mixture of both “stick” and “carrot” approaches has been adopted by some states (e.g., Kazakhstan).