“Will niqab, hijab and short pants be forbidden?” Journalists asked this question to the minister of culture and information of Kazakhstan. According to Aida Balayeva, “We will definitely study these norms and offer our solutions.” This answer came amid parliamentary inquiries about “strange movements under the guise of Islam” threatening the principles of the Kazakh society.
Security is at risk
Parliamentarian of Kazakhstan Yermurat Bapi denounced “strange movements under the guise of Islam” on October 4, 2023 and said that are increasingly threatening the social conditions of the Kazakh society.
“These threats began to disturb the peace in the society and challenge national integrity, oppose traditions and national unity, national development of the Kazakh nation and the Islamic way of living of the Kazakhs that has been developing for one thousand years,” Bapi wrote in his inquiry addressed to the government and security services. He addressed authorities and asked if they had a plan to counter division in the society based on religious differences.
Yermurat Bapi also wondered if the government believed it was necessary to amend the law “On religious activity and religious associations.”
Parliamentarian Kazybek Isa, representative of the Ak Zhol Party (translated from Kazakh as ‘bright path’), said, “Dear colleagues, it’s time to legally prohibit religious radicalism as it continues to destruct the nation at a tremendous rate. The Ak Zhol Party has been proposing to the parliament to adopt a law on prohibiting religious diversions for many years.”
Member of Parliament Nurtore Zhusip in his inquiry also expressed concern about radicalisation of Islam in Kazakhstan and urged to take measures to prevent the spread of religious extremism in the country.
A few days after the inquiries journalists asked minister of culture and information Aida Balayeva if niqab, hijab and short pants (in Kazakhstan, it is believed that they are worn by representatives of the so-called non-traditional Islam) would be forbidden.
“We will definitely study these norms and offer our solutions. At least, regarding public spaces. I am aware of the global practice because it is the national security issue. It is very difficult to identify [a person] if he/she covers their face in public spaces. However, we will study this issue together with the society. As an authorised body, we will be working to tighten legislative regulations in this regard,” Aida Balayeva said.
Later on, she explained to journalists that she meant only the prohibition of niqab, burqa and religious clothing that “covers the face and thus makes it difficult to differentiate, identify the personality.”
Focus on tolerance
CABAR.asia asked the experts to explain the surge in interest in religious subjects.
Theologian Asylbek Izbairov is sure that the problem is much exaggerated, and is artificially induced.
“Religion is a relevant topic for Kazakhstan and many countries in the world. But it can be dangerous to escalate the situation around Islam, exaggerate it for their own purposes. It can result in division in the society. Public accord must be supported amid the turmoil and geopolitical cataclysms taking place in the world,” the theologian said.
As to destructive religious organisations, the fight against them should be prescribed by the law based on the zero tolerance to such organisations. National security bodies are being successful in this fight, according to the theologian.
“Extremist movements in Islam are facilities that threaten legitimate rights and freedoms of a person and destruct the spiritual, mental and physical health,” the theologian said.
He cited family values as an example. According to Asylbek Izbairov, non-traditional religious movements ignore such values and find them unfavourable because such movements are designed to fuel the conflict – both within the family and the country, as well as internationally.
“Multi-religious Kazakhstan must pursue the well-defined and well-balanced policy. Government officials must emphasise the humanistic potential of religion. However, this approach is not practised now,” the theologian said.
Religion expert, project coordinator of IWPR Ayan Oryntai believes that such inquiries made by parliamentarians is the direct result of recent heated debates about wearing religious clothing in schools. The situation became even worse because of the video on TikTok saying that dombra, a musical instrument, was haram (forbidden, bad in Islam). We should note that dombra is one of the main symbols of the Kazakh culture and identity.
“We should wonder why some parliamentarians want to score ‘points’ using such a sensitive issue as religion,” said Oryntai. “No one should throw around words that can offend the religious part of the population. Any statements of growing radical movements, wearing hijab in schools must be based on researches, scientific and objective facts. No one may evaluate a problem based on one’s own subjective feelings.”
According to Ayan Oryntai, Kazakhstanis and especially public figures should learn to make statements in a more tolerant way. “We should keep in mind that our society consists of people with different interests, views and commitments,” the theologian said.
Zhanna Kantarbaeva, theologian, senior lecturer of the Kazakh National University, also reminded that the secular state is based on the principle of tolerance, mutual respect of different religions.
“We live in a multicultural, multireligious and even ‘multifarious’ state. Therefore, freedom of conscience, religious freedom is a logical thing,” the expert said.
According to her, the concepts of ‘non-traditional’ and ‘destructive’ movements should be distinguished. There are non-traditional religious movements that are not destructive.
“The word ‘de structure’ means destruction of the structure, while ‘radical’ means fundamental changes. In other words, these two concepts have political overtones, and radical movements often mean to change the state system. That is why destructive actions are committed, like terrorist attacks, dissemination of extremist ideology, disruption of national integrity, national unity,” the theologian said.
According to her, it is important to understand the background and causes of such movements. The background may be public discontent, spiritual vacuum, and so on.
“When a person is in a difficult financial, mental condition, they are more prone to various religious movements, where they find support, hope, and involvement. Therefore, it is important to work at basic social things that give support to people,” Zhanna Kantarbaeva said.
She said that in some points Kazakhstan is too open, and some policies should be tightened.
“But we should not generalise and defy religious views. Many people follow traditional religious movements. And generalisation can be regarded as the insult to the feelings of religious people,” the theologian said.
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