Central Asia; Iran & Islam

Religion and politics in Muslim world are like two next-door neighbors. Current developments in the region, no matter they named as Arab spring, Islamic awakening or radicalism stress the mentioned fact. However, involvement of religion in politics is not inappropriate at all, probably these two are Janus-faced and they have synchronically showed tendency to each other: constructive and destructive; religious extremism and life healing aspects. The establishment of Islamic republic of Iran (1979) as a religious state has always brought to mind this dilemma in central Asia and Middle East. This paper trying to evaluate the religious politics in central Asia and Iranian foreign policy in this region.