Kazakhstan

According to the 2009 census, Kazakhstan has 39,172 ethnic Kazakhs who consider themselves Christians. They are not only the members of various foreign Christian organisations, but also Orthodox Christians. (more…)

According to the recent census of 2009, almost 1.5 million Kazakhstanis in the age of 15-19 specified their affiliation to religion. Slightly more than 40 thousand teenagers designated themselves as non-believers.

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Harmonious religious relations are a very sensitive and relevant topic today for Kazakhstan. Assylbek Izbairov, director of the institute for geopolitical studies, professor of the institute for diplomacy, religious scholar, told about the regulation in this sphere and how to build a system of religious relations in the interview to cabar.asia.

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«To achieve the goals set by the authorities of Kazakhstan, religious studies in schools should not become an ordinary school subject for the sole purpose of acquiring new knowledge, but should lead to an increase in tolerance among the youth and unity through diversity», – notes an independent researcher Meruert Seidumanova in her article written specifically for analytical platform cabar.asia. 

Русский Қазақша

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“Last year Kazakstan adopted many legislation amendments, including law on media, which recognises some statements as propaganda. It means that journalists preparing some material now should think whether it will be taken as propaganda,” said Gulmira Birzhanova, lawyer of Legal Media Centre, in the interview to cabar.asia.
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According to the Open Doors international organisation, which serves persecuted Christians worldwide, Kazakstan, along with three other Central Asian states, has been listed as a country where it’s “most dangerous to follow Jesus”. Meanwhile, Astana positions the country as a “model of religious freedom and tolerance”.
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The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is an independent body of the US government, established on a bipartisan basis in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. The Commission monitors the observance of the universal right to freedom of religion and belief abroad. Using international standards to monitor violations of freedom of religion and belief abroad, the Commission develops policy recommendations for the president, secretary of state, and US Congress. (more…)