The Muslim Board of Uzbekistan (MBU) oversees mosque operations, religious instruction, Muslim clergy, and Muslim proselytism, in addition to other Islamic activities in Uzbekistan. Supreme Mufti Usmankhan Alimov is its chairman. MBU muftis issue fatwas, and the organisation is one of few in Uzbekistan that may publish newspapers, journals, and books on Islam. The organisation also engages Muslim communities in other countries through direct exchanges and international conferences. MBU is a member of the Council of Confessional Affairs, a government-supported umbrella body that facilitates communication and cooperation among Uzbekistan's various religious groups. According to Western observers, the MBU, like its Soviet-era predecessor, the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, is an organ of government control over Islamic religious activity. For example, the MBU has denounced and removed Muslim clerics who have allegedly criticised Uzbekistan’s regime.