KZBlog

Tag archive for ‘religion’

• Would the Koran Have Been Approved by the Government?

  I’ve been meaning to post on the new religion law which just passed the Senate in Kazakhstan leaving it up to the president to sign. The Huffington Post has nice breakdown of the law, what it says and where it sits in historical context. And a link to a nice review of the law! As […]

  10/11/11 • (6)

• The Pagans Are Coming

  The World Forum of Spiritual Culture, which I assume is not to confused with the Congress of World Religions, has inviteda pagan representative for the first time. Patrick McCollum, who is director chaplaincy at Cherry Hill Seminary, is a follower of Wicca, a pagan nature-based religion, and the first Wiccan chaplain to be recognized by […]

  6/30/10 • (Comments Off on The Pagans Are Coming)

• What Exactly is Banned?

  According to an article by Interfax, wearing the hijab in Kazakhstan schools is forbidden. Apparently a student in Taraz wanted to wear one and the school administration did not allow her to, citing rules regarding the school uniform and the Taraz city education department supported this decision. Interestingly, apparently the Minster of Justice wrote on […]

  10/02/09 • (1)

• New Law on Religion Declared Unconstitutional

  The proposed law on religion in Kazakhstan has been declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Council, whose primary function is to rule on the constitutionality of draft laws. The President sent the controversial law to the council last month. Interestingly, TOL reports that On 11 February a deputy foreign minister told the Constitutional Council, a state […]

  2/18/09 • (Comments Off on New Law on Religion Declared Unconstitutional)

• New Law on Religion: Point/Counterpoint

  The controversial new law on religion which passed Parliament is waiting for the President’s signature. The law will outlaw unregistered religious activity, and increase the requirements for registering religions. It also appears to exclude small religious groups and mandates government approval of all religious texts. The law is clearly created defensively to prevent cult-like activity […]

  12/23/08 • (1)

• New Law on Religion Criticized

  As Parliament debates a new law “On Religion”, Forum 18 reports on religious leaders’ complaints. Most religious leaders were hesitant to speak publicly, in itself a sign that the atmosphere in Kazakhstan is not as tolerant as the government often claims. However, Lutheran Bishop Yuri Novgorodov, whose church has 52 congregations in Kazakhstan characterized the […]

  5/18/08 • (1)

• Tough Questionnaires for Religious Groups

  Religious groups in Kazakhstan have always been monitored more strictly than in Western countries and for years they have been asked to provide government agencies with detailed information about themselves, but recently both the number of questionnaires and the pressure on groups to complete them has increased. This comes after Nazarbayev made a statement at […]

  3/09/08 • (Comments Off on Tough Questionnaires for Religious Groups)

• Krishnas in Kazakhstan, Update 2

  Some more information on the controversy over Krishnas in Kazakhstan. Thanks to Nathan at Registan.net: A video testament from the Krishna community in Kazakhstan: Also, the OSCE has released a statement on the destruction, reading in part: The Advisory Council … calls upon the Kazakh authorities to halt any further demolitions and to extend immediate […]

  11/28/06 • (Comments Off on Krishnas in Kazakhstan, Update 2)

• Religious and Ethnic Tolerance

  On the 22nd of November, outside Almaty, local authorities destroyed the only Hare Krishna commune in the CIS, a total of eleven houses on 48 acres. The group apparently was not prepared because: The group apparently was not prepared because there is currently a state special commission – appointed to investigate allegations of religious harassment […]

  11/23/06 • (3)