Do foreigners laugh at "homemade vodka" after "ulama kiprik"?

Today, not only Uzbek media outlets, but also foreign publications are writing about Uzbeks who died in Istanbul, Turkey, as a result of consuming counterfeit alcohol. It is noteworthy that among those who drank homemade vodka and went on the path to eternal life is an Uzbek woman. Of course, we are far from saying that this allows the stronger sex, who should take on family responsibilities, to become alcoholics. We are only concerned that at the same time, the "mother of evils" that darkens the heart and drives people crazy, is taking root in society.

Last November, a Turkish stand-up comedian incited the anger of many of our compatriots by saying, "I look like Uzbek prostitutes when I bat my eyelashes at Ulama," during one of her performances. In response, Uzbeks living in Turkey reacted sharply on social media and demanded an apology from Özden. They emphasized that such derogatory statements cannot be justified in the name of art and humor. After a huge backlash on social media for her performance in a small show, Ummuhan Özden closed her pages on social media. There were also reports that she was being sued.

Of course, insulting an entire nation cannot be justified under any pretext, but how can we justify those who create a bad image of that nation among the international community and those responsible for creating the conditions for them to fall into this situation?!

However, before the above joke appeared, not only Uzbek media, but also foreign publications were reporting on the arrest of dozens of Uzbek citizens engaged in prostitution abroad.

What now? A little while ago, we learned that 5 people died in Andijan from poisoning with "Uzbekistan" brandy, and yesterday, on January 11, we heard that 10 people died in Samarkand from homemade vodka. And today, the incident in Istanbul...

What is happening to the Uzbek people? Why is the people, who are supposedly being distanced from their true values with the words "modernity", "progress" and other shiny words, unable to repeat even one of the successes of their ancestors? Who is to blame for this?

If we look at history, the Soviet government, which served to spread alcoholism among the Turkestans, was also interested in the indoctrination of people's minds. For the colonialists, such a spiritual rebellion of Muslims was considered safer than a political rebellion.

Unfortunately, even today, we see reports on social media about the forced sale of alcohol in restaurants and shops in Uzbekistan. This also indicates that, in a sense, the "tradition" of the Soviet regime is still being continued.

So what are we achieving with this? To what extent will our sons and daughters who are addicted to alcohol tomorrow raise the prestige of the nation? Let us recall the recent incident in Nukus. A drunken soldier who was supposed to ensure the peace of our people instead attacked a sleeping woman in her own home and stabbed five other people. Don't these heartbreaking incidents indicate that it is time to limit the distribution of alcohol among the population and instead teach it its true values?

The most interesting thing is that in the 21st century, not only Islamic scholars, but also ordinary people are well aware of the harm of alcohol. It is no secret that alcohol harms a person's health and mental state. Alcoholism even leads to the destruction of family relationships, social stability, and morality.

Let's prove our point: the publication "Vyorstka", which studied about five thousand court cases in Russia, where alcoholism is widespread, found that 84% of men who killed their spouses in the first half of 2024 were in a drunken state. The experience of a country that often claims to be "big brother" to the Central Asian states should also serve as a lesson for us.

Allah Almighty says: "Satan only wants to sow enmity between you with intoxicants and gambling, and to hinder you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So now you will be free!" (Surah Al-Ma'idah, 90-91).