In Kazakhstan, a Third of Churches Eliminated Through Re-registration Under the New Law
In Almaty on Friday, a round table was held dedicated to the implementation of the republican law “On Religious Activity and Religious Associations.” Speaking at it, the head of Kazakhstan’s state agency for religious affairs, Kairat Lama Sharif, reported that based on the results of the re-registration of religious associations, a third of those previously registered will be liquidated for various reasons.
“Currently, an active process of re-registration of religious associations is underway… Already now we see that about a third of previously registered religious organizations for various reasons will go to liquidation,” the official’s words were quoted by “Interfax”.
“Only those associations that actually exist and have at least 50 followers will remain,” Lama Sharif stated, adding that “this will allow us to see the real picture of Kazakhstan’s religious landscape and streamline the activities of religious associations.”
At the same time, the head of the agency believes that today “it can be stated that the new law has had a positive impact on the religious situation in the country.”
“The implementation of its norms has allowed for a clearer and more precise delineation of state-confessional relations, to streamline the activities of religious associations, and to put a barrier in the way of using religion for destructive purposes,” said Lama Sharif.
We recall that even before the end of re-registration, which concluded in early October, the head of the state agency reported that 2,300 mosques in all regions had gone through it. As for the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church (there are 270 in Kazakhstan), Lama Sharif said they “are fully proceeding with registration.”
The number of religious associations of the Lutheran direction decreased from 32 to 9. “There were 32, the rest could not pass because there were no initiators of creating these local religious associations,” he noted.
In Kazakhstan, following the re-registration, the number of religious associations will be reduced by a third, said the head of the state agency for religious affairs, Kairat Lama Sharif.
“Currently, all mosques have practically undergone re-registration — 2,300 mosques in all regions. Also, Orthodox churches — 270 parishes — are undergoing re-registration, which, as we plan, will end in early October. This makes up 80% of the total number of associations. There are also associations of the Protestant direction,” Lama Sharif reported today at a plenary session of the Senate.
According to the state agency’s forecasts, if before the adoption of the new law on religious activity and religious associations in Kazakhstan there were 4,551 associations, after the law’s adoption only about 3,000 of them will undergo mandatory registration, reports “Interfax”.
“The first reason — in some remote auls there are mosques where there are no imams and clergy, so the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan (SAMK) decided not to register them as separate branches. They will be as prayer houses and composite premises,” explained Lama Sharif.
As for the Russian Orthodox Church, its branches “are fully proceeding with registration.”
The number of religious associations of the Lutheran direction decreased from 32 to 9. “There were 32, the rest could not pass because there were no initiators of creating these local religious associations,” he said.
Lama Sharif noted that some religious associations today exist “only on paper.” “This is understood by representatives of religious associations as well, we held appropriate talks with them, for example, Baptists. If before our law 197 Baptist religious associations were registered on the territory of Kazakhstan, now only 60 religious associations have submitted documents. At the same time, there is no offense in the confession, we conducted a thorough religious examination, gave a positive assessment. Therefore, the confession is being registered in Kazakhstan, but the number of religious associations is decreasing by as much as 60%,” he added.
The re-registration of religious associations in Kazakhstan is to be completed by October 25, 2012.
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