Organised by the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, the forum gathered nearly 300 participants from around 50 countries. Discussions ranged from responsibility for misrepresentations of Islam and journalistic independence to Europe’s closer engagement with Central Asia.
The International Media Forum “Islamic Civilization: A New Perspective - New Discoveries”, organised by the Islamic Civilization Center in Uzbekistan, brought to Tashkent a series of debates that extend well beyond the event itself.
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Nearly 300 media professionals, researchers, publishers, filmmakers and technology specialists from around 50 countries discussed how the history and heritage of Islamic societies are represented, how stereotypes are challenged and how old sources can be made relevant to new audiences.
Organisers linked the forum’s wider purpose to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s 2017 address to the UN General Assembly, when he rejected attempts to associate Islam with violence and bloodshed and proposed a resolution on “Enlightenment and Religious Tolerance”, which was adopted the following year.
The forum translated that broad idea into debates about media, evidence, technology and historical interpretation.
Islamophobia, knowledge and responsibility
Firdavs Abdukhalikov, the centre’s director, argued that misconceptions about Islam should be addressed through knowledge and explanation rather than confrontation.
“In the media space, we should speak not to argue, but to explain,” he said. “The most effective response to Islamophobia is enlightenment. The strongest response to misconceptions is truth. The most effective weapon against ignorance is knowledge.”
Abdukhalikov also focused on the scientific and cultural history of Islamic societies, arguing that it should be presented more widely and on the basis of research and evidence.
Hasanbey Kondu, who heads Turkish publishing house Mega Basım, added another layer to the debate. He argued that distorted perceptions could not simply be blamed on Europe or the modern West.
“Islam is misunderstood and misrepresented, intentionally or unintentionally — and I include Muslims in that,” Kondu said. “It is not enough to blame Europeans or the modern world. As a Muslim, how are you presenting Islam? How have you understood it yourself? Perhaps we need to look first at our own shortcomings.”
Reporting a region Europe long overlooked
The question of representation also extended to Uzbekistan and Central Asia themselves.
Sherzod Asadov, press secretary to Uzbekistan’s president, told foreign journalists that they were not being asked simply to speak positively about the country.
“We invite you to see it with your own eyes, talk to people, ask questions and draw your own conclusions,” he said.
In the same speech, Asadov addressed the impact of artificial intelligence on journalism. AI could expand a journalist’s capabilities but could not replace the journalist, he argued, adding that however technology changes, truth, impartiality, conscience and the interests of people should remain central.
Euronews CEO Claus Strunz placed that debate in a wider European context. He recalled how Central Asia had once been largely absent from European public discussion, except in reports about disasters or romanticised stories about the Silk Road.
“That was arrogant and blind then,” he said.
Institutional ties have deepened in recent years. In April 2025, the first EU-Central Asia summit was held in Samarkand, where the two regions upgraded their relationship to a strategic partnership.
For Strunz, that shift reflects Central Asia’s growing economic, political and cultural importance to Europe. “It is time to look East again,” he said.
But greater attention, he argued, should remain grounded in independent reporting. Journalists should be present on the ground, report what they find and give audiences enough information to form their own views.
“We are not here to teach them. We are here to inform them.”
Europe and Central Asia: links that go back centuries
The forum also placed today’s rapprochement against a much longer history of exchange between Europe, Central Asia and the wider Silk Road world.
Italian researcher Dr Mario Taddei, a specialist in Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts and inventions, described what he calls a “Knowledge Silk Road”, his term for the movement of scientific ideas from China through the Middle East and into Renaissance Europe.
Speaking about Western perceptions of scientific history, Taddei said: “We believe that we invented everything, but it’s not true.”
Dr Taddei cited medieval engineers Al-Muradi and Al-Jazari as part of a wider history of mechanical and scientific exchange.
A different connection emerged through publisher Charlotte Kramer. Spanish envoy Ruy González de Clavijo was sent by King Henry III of Castile to Timur and reached Samarkand in 1404, leaving a detailed account of the journey. Kramer presented a publishing project based on that historical record.
“We already see a very strong connection from Europe to Central Asia,” she said, pointing to both the Silk Road and diplomatic dialogue.
The forum also explored how such material can reach audiences today. Presentations included books, documentaries, digital avatars, immersive platforms and other new formats for presenting historical figures and sources.
Hungarian media executive Alpar Kato summed up that approach as bringing together “something modern and an old, traditional story.”
The setting itself reflected much of that discussion. The forum was held at the centre in Tashkent, where historical research, publishing and new media projects were presented side by side.
Firdavs Abdukhalikov, the centre’s director, summed up that ambition in his address: “History should speak. Cultural heritage should communicate with people. The past should inspire today’s generation to new discoveries.”