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Baháʼí Faith in Kazakhstan

January 17, 2023

The Baháʼí Faith in Kazakhstan began during the policy of oppression of religion in the former Soviet Union. Before that time, Kazakhstan, as part of the Russian Empire, had indirect contact with the Baháʼí Faith as far back as 1847.[1] Following the arrival of pioneers the community grew to be the largest religious community after Islam and Christianity, although only a minor percent of the national whole.[2] By 1994 the National Spiritual Assembly of Kazakhstan was elected[3] and the community had begun to multiply its efforts across various interests. The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 6,400 Baháʼís in 2005.[4]

History in the region

A part of the Russian Empire

The earliest relationship between the Baháʼí Faith and Kazakhstan came under the sphere of the country's history with Russia. In 1847 the Russian ambassador to Tehran, Prince Dimitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov, requested that the Báb, the herald to the Baháʼí Faith who was imprisoned at Maku, be moved elsewhere. He also condemned the massacres of Iranian religionists and asked for the release of Baháʼu'lláh, the founder of the Baháʼí Faith.[1][3] By the 1880s an organized community of Baháʼís was established in Ashgabat and later built the first Baháʼí House of Worship in 1913-1918.

Soviet period

By the time of the October Revolution Baháʼís had spread through Central Asia and Caucasus with the community in Ashgabat numbering about two thousand people. The community of Ashgabat had developed a library, hospital, hotel and Baháʼí schools — including a school for girls — all open to all people regardless of religion. After the October Revolution and the ban on religion, the Baháʼís (strictly adhering to their principle of obedience to legal government) abandoned their administration and allowed their properties to be nationalized.[5] By 1938, after numerous arrests and a policy of oppression of religion, most Baháʼís were sent to prisons and camps or sent abroad. There were at this time some 1,400 families of Baháʼís resident in Ashgabat. The authorities arrested every adult male Baháʼí. The women and children were deported to Iran, while the men were either deported or sentenced to long terms of imprisonment or exile. Many were sent to Pavlodar in northern Kazakhstan.[6] Baháʼí communities in 38 cities ceased to exist.

Baháʼís had managed to re-enter various countries of the Eastern Bloc throughout the 1950s,[1] following a plan of the head of the religion at the time, Shoghi Effendi. By 1953 the first pioneers arrived in Kazakhstan.[7] A pair of small communities are listed in 1963.[8]

Development of the community

There is evidence that the Baháʼí Faith started to grow across the Soviet Union in the 1980s.[1] In 1991 a Baháʼí National Spiritual Assembly of the Soviet Union was elected but was quickly split among its former members.[1] In 1992, a regional National Spiritual Assembly for the whole of Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) was formed with its seat in Ashkhabad.[6] In 1994 the National Spiritual Assembly of Kazakhstan was elected.[8]

As of 2001, 25[2] Baháʼí Local Spiritual Assemblies or smaller groups had registered with the government - and these communities totaled 25 of 55 of the organized communities of "nontraditional" religions ("traditional" being defined by the Kazakh government as Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Buddhism.) Local Spiritual Assemblies had been registered in many Kazakh cities.[9]} There were more registered communities of Baháʼís than Jews and Buddhists and the rest of the non-Moslem, non-Christian religious communities. In 1999 - the closest national census - 7% of the religious national population of 14,896,000 (or just over 1 million) were not Muslim or Christian.

Hostile atmosphere in 2000-2002

  • There are reports of oppression of religious minorities as early as 2000.[10]
  • A 2001 hostile newspaper article[9] characterized the religion with various hostile statements[2] as part of a generally hostile environment against several minority religions according to United States government reports.[11] See Freedom of religion in Kazakhstan.
  • The government of Kazakhstan voted against a United Nations General Assembly Resolution on the "Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran" (UN document no. A/C.3/56/L.50) on 19 December 2001. Kazakhstan was among 49 votes against, 72 for, and 68 either didn't vote or abstained.[12] See Persecution of Baháʼís.
  • In 2002 a draft law more oppressive to religious minorities increased social pressure against them but by 2004 these draft laws and policies had ended and members of many religious minorities like the Baháʼí Faith considered the situation no longer repressive.[13]

Modern community

In 2002 Baháʼí Conference on Social and Economic Development for the Americas, held in Orlando, Florida had an attendee from Kazakhstan.[14]

A Kazakhstan citizen worked at the Baháʼí World Centre in Haifa and volunteered participation with the Inspirit troupe which toured Vilnius in 2004.[15]

A "Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace," which was held on 22 June 2005 had Baháʼí speakers rising in support of the advancement of women and the conference was co-sponsored by several governments including Kazakhstan's, and at which the Kazakh Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs also spoke.[16]

In 2005 Kazakhstan government statistics reported to the United States indicated 44 registered "nontraditional" religious groups during the reporting period, (recall from above that 25 had been Baháʼí as late as 2001).[9] The U.S. State Department says:

Kazakh laws were amended in 2005 to reinforce registration requirements and clarify that religious groups must register with both the central government and the local governments of individual regions (oblasts) in which they have congregations. Prior to these amendments, the government required religious organizations to register only if they wished to be accorded legal status in order to buy or rent property, hire employees, or engage in other legal transactions. Although the amended national religion laws explicitly require religious organizations to register with the government, it continues to provide that all persons are free to practice their religion "alone or together with others." To register, a religious organization must have at least ten members and submit an application to the Ministry of Justice.[17]

A regional conference in 2008 on the progress of the religion in Almaty in southeastern Kazakhstan gathered about 650 people from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Western Siberia.[18]

The Association of Religion Data Archives (relying on World Christian Encyclopedia) estimated some 6,400 Baháʼís in 2005.[4]

See also

Further reading

  • Soli Shahvar; Boris Morozov; Gad Gilbar (30 November 2011). Bahaʼis of Iran, Transcaspia and the Caucasus, The Volume 1: Letters of Russian Officers and Officials. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 978-0-85772-068-9.
  • Answer to the letter on behalf of the Universal House of Justice dated September 4, 2014 about situation with M. Tungatarov and depriving of his administrative rights.[dead link]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Momen, Moojan. "Russia". Draft for "A Short Encyclopedia of the Baháʼí Faith". Baháʼí Academics Resource Library. Retrieved 2008-04-14.
  2. ^ a b c Government of Kazakhstan (2001). . 2001 Census. Embassy of Kazakhstan to the USA & Canada. Archived from the original on 2006-10-31. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  3. ^ a b Local Spiritual Assembly of Kyiv (2007–2008). . Official Website of the Baháʼís of Kyiv. Local Spiritual Assembly of Kyiv. Archived from the original on 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2008-04-19.
  4. ^ a b "Most Baha'i Nations (2005)". QuickLists > Compare Nations > Religions >. The Association of Religion Data Archives. 2005. Retrieved 2009-07-04.
  5. ^ Effendi, Shoghi (1936-03-11). The World Order of Baháʼu'lláh. Haifa, Palestine: US Baháʼí Publishing Trust, 1991 first pocket-size edition. pp. 64–67.
  6. ^ a b Momen, Moojan (1994). . draft of "A Short Encyclopedia of the Baha'i Faith". Baháʼí Library Online. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  7. ^ Effendi, Shoghi. Citadel of Faith. Haifa, Palestine: US Baháʼí Publishing Trust, 1980 third printing. p. 107.
  8. ^ a b The Baháʼí Faith: 1844-1963: Information Statistical and Comparative, Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Baháʼí Teaching & Consolidation Plan 1953-1963, Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land, page 95.
  9. ^ a b c Balkina, Valeriya (2001). . Ekspress-K (Kazakhstan). BBC Monitoring Central Asia - Ekspress-K. pp. 3–4. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved 2010-11-10.
  10. ^ U.S. State Department (2001-10-26). "Kazakhstan - International Religious Freedom Report 2001". The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affair. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  11. ^ U.S. State Department (2002-10-07). "Kazakhstan - International Religious Freedom Report 2002". The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affair. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  12. ^ Community, Baháʼí International (2006). . Baháʼí Topics. Baháʼí International Community. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  13. ^ Rotar, Igor (2004-02-10). "KAZAKHSTAN: Religious freedom survey, February 2004". F18News Archive. F18News. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  14. ^ Community, Baháʼí International (2003-02-10). "Colored ribbons, a gold mine and a path to peace". Baháʼí World News Service. Baháʼí International Community.
  15. ^ Community, Baháʼí International (2004-08-10). "International cast in musical theater". Baháʼí World News Service. Baháʼí International Community.
  16. ^ Community, Baháʼí International (2005-06-28). "Unity stressed at interfaith conference". Baháʼí World News Service. Baháʼí International Community.
  17. ^ U.S. State Department (2007-09-14). "Kazakhstan - International Religious Freedom Report 2007". The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affair. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  18. ^ "The Almaty Regional Conference". Regional Conferences of the Five Year Plan. Baháʼí International Community. 6–7 December 2008. Retrieved 2010-02-18.

External links

  • Kazakhstan Baháʼí National Community

January 17, 2023
baháʼí, faith, kazakhstan, began, during, policy, oppression, religion, former, soviet, union, before, that, time, kazakhstan, part, russian, empire, indirect, contact, with, baháʼí, faith, back, 1847, following, arrival, pioneers, community, grew, largest, re. The Bahaʼi Faith in Kazakhstan began during the policy of oppression of religion in the former Soviet Union Before that time Kazakhstan as part of the Russian Empire had indirect contact with the Bahaʼi Faith as far back as 1847 1 Following the arrival of pioneers the community grew to be the largest religious community after Islam and Christianity although only a minor percent of the national whole 2 By 1994 the National Spiritual Assembly of Kazakhstan was elected 3 and the community had begun to multiply its efforts across various interests The Association of Religion Data Archives relying on World Christian Encyclopedia estimated some 6 400 Bahaʼis in 2005 4 Contents 1 History in the region 1 1 A part of the Russian Empire 1 2 Soviet period 2 Development of the community 2 1 Hostile atmosphere in 2000 2002 3 Modern community 4 See also 5 Further reading 6 References 7 External linksHistory in the region EditA part of the Russian Empire Edit The earliest relationship between the Bahaʼi Faith and Kazakhstan came under the sphere of the country s history with Russia In 1847 the Russian ambassador to Tehran Prince Dimitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov requested that the Bab the herald to the Bahaʼi Faith who was imprisoned at Maku be moved elsewhere He also condemned the massacres of Iranian religionists and asked for the release of Bahaʼu llah the founder of the Bahaʼi Faith 1 3 By the 1880s an organized community of Bahaʼis was established in Ashgabat and later built the first Bahaʼi House of Worship in 1913 1918 Soviet period Edit By the time of the October Revolution Bahaʼis had spread through Central Asia and Caucasus with the community in Ashgabat numbering about two thousand people The community of Ashgabat had developed a library hospital hotel and Bahaʼi schools including a school for girls all open to all people regardless of religion After the October Revolution and the ban on religion the Bahaʼis strictly adhering to their principle of obedience to legal government abandoned their administration and allowed their properties to be nationalized 5 By 1938 after numerous arrests and a policy of oppression of religion most Bahaʼis were sent to prisons and camps or sent abroad There were at this time some 1 400 families of Bahaʼis resident in Ashgabat The authorities arrested every adult male Bahaʼi The women and children were deported to Iran while the men were either deported or sentenced to long terms of imprisonment or exile Many were sent to Pavlodar in northern Kazakhstan 6 Bahaʼi communities in 38 cities ceased to exist Bahaʼis had managed to re enter various countries of the Eastern Bloc throughout the 1950s 1 following a plan of the head of the religion at the time Shoghi Effendi By 1953 the first pioneers arrived in Kazakhstan 7 A pair of small communities are listed in 1963 8 Development of the community EditThere is evidence that the Bahaʼi Faith started to grow across the Soviet Union in the 1980s 1 In 1991 a Bahaʼi National Spiritual Assembly of the Soviet Union was elected but was quickly split among its former members 1 In 1992 a regional National Spiritual Assembly for the whole of Central Asia Turkmenistan Kazakhstan Kirgizia Tajikistan and Uzbekistan was formed with its seat in Ashkhabad 6 In 1994 the National Spiritual Assembly of Kazakhstan was elected 8 As of 2001 25 2 Bahaʼi Local Spiritual Assemblies or smaller groups had registered with the government and these communities totaled 25 of 55 of the organized communities of nontraditional religions traditional being defined by the Kazakh government as Islam Christianity Judaism and Buddhism Local Spiritual Assemblies had been registered in many Kazakh cities 9 There were more registered communities of Bahaʼis than Jews and Buddhists and the rest of the non Moslem non Christian religious communities In 1999 the closest national census 7 of the religious national population of 14 896 000 or just over 1 million were not Muslim or Christian Hostile atmosphere in 2000 2002 Edit There are reports of oppression of religious minorities as early as 2000 10 A 2001 hostile newspaper article 9 characterized the religion with various hostile statements 2 as part of a generally hostile environment against several minority religions according to United States government reports 11 See Freedom of religion in Kazakhstan The government of Kazakhstan voted against a United Nations General Assembly Resolution on the Situation of Human Rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran UN document no A C 3 56 L 50 on 19 December 2001 Kazakhstan was among 49 votes against 72 for and 68 either didn t vote or abstained 12 See Persecution of Bahaʼis In 2002 a draft law more oppressive to religious minorities increased social pressure against them but by 2004 these draft laws and policies had ended and members of many religious minorities like the Bahaʼi Faith considered the situation no longer repressive 13 Modern community EditIn 2002 Bahaʼi Conference on Social and Economic Development for the Americas held in Orlando Florida had an attendee from Kazakhstan 14 A Kazakhstan citizen worked at the Bahaʼi World Centre in Haifa and volunteered participation with the Inspirit troupe which toured Vilnius in 2004 15 A Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace which was held on 22 June 2005 had Bahaʼi speakers rising in support of the advancement of women and the conference was co sponsored by several governments including Kazakhstan s and at which the Kazakh Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs also spoke 16 In 2005 Kazakhstan government statistics reported to the United States indicated 44 registered nontraditional religious groups during the reporting period recall from above that 25 had been Bahaʼi as late as 2001 9 The U S State Department says Kazakh laws were amended in 2005 to reinforce registration requirements and clarify that religious groups must register with both the central government and the local governments of individual regions oblasts in which they have congregations Prior to these amendments the government required religious organizations to register only if they wished to be accorded legal status in order to buy or rent property hire employees or engage in other legal transactions Although the amended national religion laws explicitly require religious organizations to register with the government it continues to provide that all persons are free to practice their religion alone or together with others To register a religious organization must have at least ten members and submit an application to the Ministry of Justice 17 A regional conference in 2008 on the progress of the religion in Almaty in southeastern Kazakhstan gathered about 650 people from Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan Turkmenistan Uzbekistan and Western Siberia 18 The Association of Religion Data Archives relying on World Christian Encyclopedia estimated some 6 400 Bahaʼis in 2005 4 See also EditReligion in Kazakhstan Freedom of religion in Kazakhstan History of Kazakhstan List of cities in Kazakhstan Bahaʼi Faith in Ukraine Bahaʼi Faith in UzbekistanFurther reading EditSoli Shahvar Boris Morozov Gad Gilbar 30 November 2011 Bahaʼis of Iran Transcaspia and the Caucasus The Volume 1 Letters of Russian Officers and Officials I B Tauris ISBN 978 0 85772 068 9 Answer to the letter on behalf of the Universal House of Justice dated September 4 2014 about situation with M Tungatarov and depriving of his administrative rights dead link References Edit a b c d e Momen Moojan Russia Draft for A Short Encyclopedia of the Bahaʼi Faith Bahaʼi Academics Resource Library Retrieved 2008 04 14 a b c Government of Kazakhstan 2001 Religious Groups in Kazakhstan 2001 Census Embassy of Kazakhstan to the USA amp Canada Archived from the original on 2006 10 31 Retrieved 2008 05 21 a b Local Spiritual Assembly of Kyiv 2007 2008 Statement on the history of the Bahaʼi Faith in Soviet Union Official Website of the Bahaʼis of Kyiv Local Spiritual Assembly of Kyiv Archived from the original on 2010 07 15 Retrieved 2008 04 19 a b Most Baha i Nations 2005 QuickLists gt Compare Nations gt Religions gt The Association of Religion Data Archives 2005 Retrieved 2009 07 04 Effendi Shoghi 1936 03 11 The World Order of Bahaʼu llah Haifa Palestine US Bahaʼi Publishing Trust 1991 first pocket size edition pp 64 67 a b Momen Moojan 1994 Turkmenistan draft of A Short Encyclopedia of the Baha i Faith Bahaʼi Library Online Archived from the original on 9 May 2008 Retrieved 2008 05 21 Effendi Shoghi Citadel of Faith Haifa Palestine US Bahaʼi Publishing Trust 1980 third printing p 107 a b The Bahaʼi Faith 1844 1963 Information Statistical and Comparative Including the Achievements of the Ten Year International Bahaʼi Teaching amp Consolidation Plan 1953 1963 Compiled by Hands of the Cause Residing in the Holy Land page 95 a b c Balkina Valeriya 2001 Kazakhstan target of religious aggression from Bahai faith sic Ekspress K Kazakhstan BBC Monitoring Central Asia Ekspress K pp 3 4 Archived from the original on September 28 2011 Retrieved 2010 11 10 U S State Department 2001 10 26 Kazakhstan International Religious Freedom Report 2001 The Office of Electronic Information Bureau of Public Affair Retrieved 2008 05 21 U S State Department 2002 10 07 Kazakhstan International Religious Freedom Report 2002 The Office of Electronic Information Bureau of Public Affair Retrieved 2008 05 21 Community Bahaʼi International 2006 UN General Assembly Resolution 2001 Bahaʼi Topics Bahaʼi International Community Archived from the original on 10 May 2008 Retrieved 2008 05 21 Rotar Igor 2004 02 10 KAZAKHSTAN Religious freedom survey February 2004 F18News Archive F18News Retrieved 2008 05 21 Community Bahaʼi International 2003 02 10 Colored ribbons a gold mine and a path to peace Bahaʼi World News Service Bahaʼi International Community Community Bahaʼi International 2004 08 10 International cast in musical theater Bahaʼi World News Service Bahaʼi International Community Community Bahaʼi International 2005 06 28 Unity stressed at interfaith conference Bahaʼi World News Service Bahaʼi International Community U S State Department 2007 09 14 Kazakhstan International Religious Freedom Report 2007 The Office of Electronic Information Bureau of Public Affair Retrieved 2008 05 21 The Almaty Regional Conference Regional Conferences of the Five Year Plan Bahaʼi International Community 6 7 December 2008 Retrieved 2010 02 18 External links EditKazakhstan Bahaʼi National Community Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Bahaʼi Faith in Kazakhstan amp oldid 1112683155, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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