*ARCHIVED OCTOBER 2007 // CLICK HERE FOR CURRENT DATA
Kazakhstan (click here to view a satellite map)
Kazakhstan, Central Asia
Population: 15,185,844
Christians: 24-25%
Dominant Religion: Sunni Islam
Persecution Ranking: Not Ranked
Political Leader: President Nursultan Nazarbayev
Religious Freedom in Constitution: Yes
According to Operation World (21st Century Edition), Christian growth has been exciting, from no ethnic Kazakh Believers in 1990 to around 6,000 today. However, backed by oil money, Islam also has flourished, with Qur'ans and mosques flooding Central Asia. The 60 mosques in Kazakhstan in 1991 rose to 5,000 in the year 2000.
Like most former Soviet states, Kazakhstan sought to control the perceived threat of the rapidly growing churches. In October 2000, the government proposed a religion law that seriously attacked religious liberty (RLP 109). However, in March 2001, the Turkic-Arabic Centre in Kazakhstan held a Protestant Evangelical Forum so that Believers could explain the Christian faith to national and regional leaders and intellectuals (RLP 112). This was a God-glorifying event and on April 3, 2001, the government of Kazakhstan replaced the proposed religion law with a version that was no longer a major threat to freedom of religion.
Earlier freedom is now eroding and in January 2002, the parliament passed a new restrictive law on religion, despite objections from human rights and religious liberty groups. If enacted in its present form, the law will permit any unregistered religious group to be banned and registration will be more difficult. The number required to form a religious association would rise from 10 to 50, and meetings will be restricted. Those unregistered will be banned from all missionary activity.
Prayer points:
 Pray that authorities will cease their harassment of unregistered church communities.
Pray for endurance for those Christian Believers facing these challenges.
Pray for peace and the knowledge of God's protecting presence in the midst of their difficulties.
Dear LORD Jesus, we ask You to give great wisdom to all Christian leaders in Kazakhstan. Fill them with strength, guide them through the Spirit, and enable them to keep their eyes focused on Jesus Christ. Give them courage and leadership in this time of increasing government control and repression. Amen. |
