Lausanne World Pulse – World Pulse Archives – World Pulse Archives

In the last 10 years, Kazakstan generally has upheld its international commitments to freedom of religion and assembly. Recently, however, reports have come from several regions of the country of illegal attempts to curb Protestants’ religious activities. Earlier this year, authorities ordered a Baptist church in the town of Kulsary to stop meeting, Keston News Service reported. The authorities threatened heavy fines or imprisonment if they defied the order, which violates Kazakstan’s own laws on religious freedom.

Pressure is mounting from some Muslims, tacitly supported by some Russian Orthodox clergy, to introduce formal legislation banning other religious groups. Kazakstan’s government may enact a law on religion that would restrict small groups and religious teaching of children and limit theological teaching to only government-approved religions.

That’s why evangelical churches in Kazakstan seized the chance to express publicly who they are and what they stand for. The third Central Asian Interfaith Dialogue was held earlier this year in Almaty, the country’s main city. This forum followed two previous forums by Muslims and the Russian Orthodox, allowing Protestants to be recognized as a well-established branch of Christianity, not a sect.

Kazakstan’s Protestants presented themselves as a significant religious movement whose members belong to a variety of ethnic and linguistic groups-both Slavic (Russian) and Turkic (Kazak and Uig-hur). Video clips included the testimonies of changed lives through their faith in Christ, resulting in saved marriages and freedom from drug addiction. The 10 main presentations had their principal points and illustrations displayed on screens in Kazak and Russian. This helped address a misconception of Christianity as a “Western” religion.

A 92-year-old Kazak Muslim opened the forum with an appeal for religious tolerance. He related his 18-year imprisonment by the Communists for practicing his Islamic faith. Later that day Kazak pastor Erkinbek Serinbayev showed the contribution of Kazak and Uighur Christians to cultural life through video clips of Central Asian Christians performing a beautifully diverse range of dance and music in their own languages, employing traditional and modern instruments and using indigenous dress and expression. This also helped correct the image of Christianity as a foreign faith.

Another common misconception is how faith is manifest in practice. Uighur pastor Bakhadyr Usmanov addressed this issue in his talk on humanitarian aid provided by Protestant churches in Kazak-stan. He gave many examples of Kazak churches’ work to help the poor and needy. “Often we have heard… that we ‘buy converts,’ or that people, such as myself, of Muslim descent, have become followers of Jesus for money,” Usmanov said. “This is untrue. The help of our church is directed to needy people and in no way is influenced by their decision to follow Jesus and join with our church, or to remain as Muslims or Russian Orthodox, or to have a belief at all.”

A further misunderstanding about Protestantism comes from a popular image of all evangelicals as similar to Jehovah’s Witnesses or other sects with negative images. Muslims present at the forum were surprised to hear from Vladimir Lyashevskiy, director of the Association of Religious Organizations of Kazakstan, that Protestants disagree doctrinally with Jehovah’s Witnesses, and do not fellowship with them. “Despite this,” he said, “we consider that Jehovah’s Witnesses have a right to a lawful existence and to propagate their ideas.” This same tolerance is being asked of Kazakstan’s government and those of other faiths.

Some speakers from abroad also attended. Prominent among them was Sir Fred Catherwood, president of the British Evangelical Alliance and retired European Parliament member. His authority and concern for the situation in Kazakstan appeared to be influential. Another visitor, Samuel Ericsson, president of Advocates International and the Rule of Law Forum, spoke with authority about religious intolerance around the world where disinformation-the spreading of lies about a minority group -can lead to discrimination and ultimately to persecution. He highlighted efforts in Greece to prevent Muslims from being victims of discrimination.

The influence of the forum was marked by a change in the attitudes of a Muslim, Murat-kazhi Mynbayev, rector of the Kazak Institute for Islamic Studies. He said that he realized his criticisms of Christianity, based on what he saw in Russian Orthodoxy, were also shared by many other Christians. Whereas initially he thought that Protestants ought to be under the Orthodox umbrella, his change in attitude was reflected in his later stressing the need for Muslims and Christians to work together to combat social problems such as drug abuse and prostitution. He quoted a document signed by the Prophet Mohammed commanding Muslims to respect Christians.

Another Muslim present was Nurym Taybektegi of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association of Kazakstan. Taybektegi commented privately that Muslims, too, are unhappy with proposed laws that try to unite Muslim groups under a single muftiate “because diverse forms of Islam and ethnic minorities within Kazakstan could not fit under one umbrella organization,” he said. These Muslims agreed with the evangelical Christians that in fact no new laws are needed to regulate religious groups because existing legislation against murder and other crimes is sufficient to control terrorist activities, which the government fears.

October 12, 2001