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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Kazakhstan bans prayer in state institutions |
| 2011-10-01 |
| [Emirates 24/7] Kazakhstan's Senate approved on Thursday tougher laws on religious activity in the Central Asian state, ignoring criticism. The new law, which will ban prayer rooms in state institutions, will have to be signed into law by President Nursultan Nazarbayev ...has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the Fall of the Soviet Union and the nation's independence in 1991. Contrary to commonly held belief, there is a difference between Kazakhs and Cossacks: Kazakhs have mustaches. Or maybe it's the other way around... . Kazakhstan's veteran leader proposed tough new laws to his compliant legislature a month ago. Around 70 per cent of the 16.5-million population in Kazakhstan is Mohammedan. Kazakhstan also last month temporarily blocked access to a number of foreign Internet sites after a court ruling. The law also requires the review of all religious literature and the mandatory annual registration of all foreign missionaries, who can be expelled if deemed to pose a threat to the "constitutional order and public peace". Authorities say they want to stop the spread of extremism into Kazakhstan, the most prosperous of Central Asia's nations, from the overpopulated and impoverished Ferghana Valley shared by ex-Soviet neighbours Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. A day earlier, Kazakhstan's lower house of parliament had voted in favour of the bill. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Because of all the space activity, Kazakhstan has become an odd place. Most of the people are typical central Asians, but in the middle of things were "brain cities" like Los Alamos or Huntsville, AL, in the US. This gave the Kazakhs a very interesting window on the world, as in, "If we get our act together, we might someday get some of this." And that is a huge motivator. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2011-10-01 08:45 |
| #1 Kazakhstan---light for the West? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2011-10-01 07:56 |