Religious influence in Kazakhstan rising – govt official

Astana, September 22, Interfax – The religious situation in Kazakhstan remains stable despite the noticeable impact of religion on modern society, said Kairat Lama Sharif, head of the State Agency for Religious Affairs.

“This is proved by the increasing number of religious organizations and active construction of houses of worship. Today, there are 4,551 religious organizations in Kazakhstan (for a comparison: there were just 670 of them in 1990),” he said in an interview with Interfax.

“Religion is regarded by the majority of Kazakhstanis as an element of ethnic culture and national traditions. The spheres of influence of traditional religious institutions are expanding, the public’s exposure to religion is growing, social functions of religious organizations are strengthening, the role of religious education is increasing, and religious missionaries are getting more active,” the head of the state agency said.

All these factors “attest to the increased influence of religion in modern society,” he said.

“Our country is home to representatives of various faiths, including Muslims, the Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants, Buddhists and Judaists. The logic of such an equation is that inter-ethnic and interfaith relations are inextricably linked,” Lama Sharif said.

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