The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the leader of the nation, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in his keynote speech “Kazakhstan-2050 - Strategy of an established state” said: “Despite ethnic, cultural and religious diversity, we have maintained peace and political stability in the country. Kazakhstan has become a home for representatives of 130 ethnic groups and 18 faiths. Civil peace and interethnic harmony are our main values. Unity, dialogue of cultures and religions in a multinational country have become the norm in the relationship between people in Kazakhstani society. Over the years of independence, Kazakhstan has become the center of global interfaith dialogue. ”
Today, independent Kazakhstan has created favorable conditions for all peoples and nations.
In 2015, the country plans to hold the next V Congress of leaders of world and traditional religions.
The Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan also celebrates the cause of peace and stability in our society, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
The first article of the Constitution of the Republic says that Kazakhstan affirms itself as a democratic, secular, legal and social state. It is in this context that the policy of the state in the field of religion is being implemented.
As the experience of the developed states of Europe and Asia shows, each country protects and protects first of all its centuries-old cultural and national traditions, the state-confessional policy of Kazakhstan does not remain aloof from this trend.
Given the best practices of developed countries in the interfaith sphere, Kazakhstan pursues its policy in the following areas:
Ensuring the realization of citizens' rights to freedom of religion and interaction with religious associations.
Ensuring interfaith harmony and stability in Kazakhstani society, organizing and supporting interfaith dialogue.
Countering religious extremism and terrorism, ensuring national security in the religious sphere.
The indicated tasks are implemented both in the policy of the central state bodies and local executive bodies.
The main principles on which religious policy in Kazakhstan is based are:
The country's constitution and laws guarantee the protection of freedom of conscience and religion of citizens.
The Constitution prohibits any form of discrimination on the basis of confessional, ethnic and other grounds.
Kazakhstan is a secular and legal state; therefore, the state creates equal and favorable conditions for the exercise by faiths of all their rights and functions.
These principles contributed to the strengthening of friendly ties between faiths. Despite the fact that the majority of the population of Kazakhstan considers themselves Muslims, this does not interfere with the full functioning of other faiths.
The active participation of civil society institutions - non-governmental organizations, the Assembly of the people of Kazakhstan, as well as the media in the implementation of state policy in the field of religion plays an important role in strengthening confessional stability in Kazakhstan. Today it is important to form a clear civic stand of people to deny any kind of destructive ideas, including pseudo-religious ones.
In general, it should be noted that currently in Kazakhstan a unique model of relations between the state and religions has been formed, based on non-interference in the internal affairs of religious associations, respect for religious beliefs and the equality of representatives of different faiths before the law. In this regard, state policy in the field of religion, taking into account public support for government initiatives in this area, can be called quite successful.
The experience of our country in the interaction of various faiths is studied by international organizations and foreign partners, including the UN, UNESCO and the OSCE.