The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) has asked Kazakhstan President Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev to ensure religious freedom for all people in that country, following a proposed draft law for changes in religion in Kazakhstan.
According to leaders in the Baptist Union of Kazakhstan, they are concerned about:
The demand on obligatory new registration of all churches.
The demand of 50 adult members in order for the church to be registered.
The ban on missionary activities.
The hardening on the issue of religious education for children.
The need of state licenses for religious education.
The ban on religious activities outside current church buildings.
The possibility of bringing criminal charges against those breaking the laws on religious organization.
“We don’t know [how] the Parliament has given these laws to be signed in the Senate and by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan,” Baptist leaders in Kazakhstan said.
The registration of religious organizations within the European community is not new, but some laws do tremendously hinder a church’s opportunities.
“We have seen this type of registration happen in many post-
communist countries,” Theo Angelov, general secretary of the European Baptist Federation (EBF), said.
“What really harms our Baptist churches is the requirement of at least 50 adult members to be a registered church. Many of our Baptist congregations are much smaller than this, and it will greatly restrict the attendance of children and young people to the worship services.”
The leaders of the Baptist Union of Kazakhstan, which is a member of the EBF, have asked all believers to pray and ask the Lord for His help and guidance in this situation.
“To all believers in Europe, I appeal to you to make the current situations in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan a top priority for prayers for the interference of the Lord to help our brothers and sisters … where religious freedom is under such threat,” Angelov said.
In a letter to the Kazakhstan leader — a copy of which was sent to President Bush and Secretary of State Colin Powell — BWA General Secretary Denton Lotz said, “Baptists have suffered throughout our history for religious freedom.
“We believe the course of civilization demands religion and the state be separate. It is necessary that religious freedom be granted to all minorities and their rights be respected,” he said.
In a letter to the ambassador to the Azerbaijan Embassy in Washington, D.C., Lotz said the accusation against Baptist pastor Sary Mizroyev, in which he is reported to have spoken anti-Islamic propaganda, “is a serious threat to the community of Baptists in Baku and to their religious freedom.”
(BWA)
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