wfn.org | LWI 2008-094 LWF General Secretary Concerned about Proposed Religious Law in Kazakhstan

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LWF General Secretary Concerned about Proposed Religious Law in
Kazakhstan 
Noko Urges President Nazarbayev to Ensure Review of Draft
Legislation 

GENEVA, 23 December 2008 (LWI) – The General Secretary of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF) Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko has called
on Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev to ensure the
review of a draft legislation which, if signed into law, would
place harsh restrictions on religious freedom in the
predominantly Muslim country.

In a letter to Nazarbayev, Noko expresses his concern about
reports of the Parliament's passage at the end of November of a
new law on religion, widely reported as containing harsher
restrictions on freedom of religion and belief than previously
obtained in the country.

The general secretary says he is aware of expressions of alarm
and concern being voiced by leaders of several minority religious
communities in Kazakhstan, and by representatives of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. He notes
such alarm and concern might in part have been fueled by a
certain lack of community participation and transparency in the
process of formulating the new legislation.

According to media reports, religious communities and human
rights activists in Kazakhstan are particularly concerned about
the legislation which would place restrictions on missionary
activities and on religious beliefs of registered communities,
including a compulsory censorship of all imported religious
literature. The law would reportedly also put severe restrictions
on smaller religious groups and would include a requirement that
children obtain written permission to participate in any
religious youth event.

The head of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Republic of
Kazakhstan (ELCRK) Bishop Yuri Novgorodov has reportedly
criticized the draft legislation saying, "If adopted, this would
be a law on non-freedom of conscience." Media sources quote him
saying the new law "would destroy our whole organization and our
seminary, and the bishop would no longer be able to function as
such."” The ELCRK is a regional church of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in Russia and Other States, which has been an LWF
member church since 1989.

Noko in his letter refers to the 2003 and 2006 First and Second
Congresses of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions in the
capital, Astana, convened by President Nazarbayev. The general
secretary points out that at the second congress, Nazarbayev
emphasized the experience of Kazakhstan as a predominantly Muslim
country but with exceptional religious diversity. On this
occasion, he affirmed that "Our model of international and
inter-confessional dialogue is Kazakhstan’s contribution to the
global process of interaction between different confessions,"”
the general secretary writes. 

Paying tribute to Nazarbayev's personal and political commitment
to equality among religious communities in the country, and to
peace and inter-religious harmony at home and globally, Noko says
he is convinced the Kazakhstanpresident will act in a way that
would demonstrate this commitment, and that he would address
concerns about transparency and participation in the process of
formulating this legislation. (481 words) 
 *        *          *

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF
currently has 140 member churches in 79 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of over 68.3 million. The LWF acts
on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such
as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

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