Friday, October 14, 2011

Kazakhstan passes restrictive religion law

AlJazeera News
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Kazakhstan passes restrictive religion law
New law, which authorities say is needed to curb extremism, bans prayer in state institutions.
Last Modified: 14 Oct 2011 05:23


Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s president, has approved a new religious law which authorities say is intended to tackle extremism following a spate of violent incidents over the summer blamed on religious groups, including the country’s first suicide bombing.

The law forces all religious organisations to re-register and bans prayer in state institutions such as schools and prisons.

But the Central Asian nation’s chief imam believes restrictions on prayers will antagonise the Muslim-majority Kazakh public.

Al Jazeera’s Robin Forestier-Walker reports from Kazakhstan’s western city of Aktobe.

 
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