Bahá'í Faith in Kazakhstan
Encyclopedia
The Bahá'í 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 Bahá'í Faith
as far back as 1847. 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. By 1994 the National Spiritual Assembly of Kazakhstan was elected and the community had begun to multiply its efforts across various interests.
, Prince Dimitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov, requested that the Báb
, the herald to the Bahá'í Faith who was imprisoned at Maku
, be moved elsewhere. He also condemned the massacres of Iranian religionists and asked for the release of Bahá'u'lláh
, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. By the 1880s an organized community of Bahá'ís was established in Ashgabat and later built the first Bahá'í House of Worship
in 1913-1918.
Bahá'ís 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 Bahá'í school
s — including a school for girls — all open to all people regardless of religion. After the October Revolution and the ban on religion, the Bahá'ís (strictly adhering to their principle of obedience to legal government) abandoned their administration and allowed their properties to be nationalized. By 1938, after numerous arrests and a policy of oppression of religion, most Bahá'ís were sent to prisons and camps or sent abroad. There were at this time some 1,400 families of Bahá'ís resident in Ashgabat. The authorities arrested every adult male Bahá'í. 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. Bahá'í communities in 38 cities ceased to exist.
Bahá'ís had managed to re-enter various countries of the Eastern Bloc
throughout the 1950s, following a plan of the head of the religion at the time, Shoghi Effendi
. By 1953 the first pioneers
arrived in Kazakhstan. A pair of small communities are listed in 1963.
in the 1980s. In 1991 a Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly of the Soviet Union was elected but was quickly split among its former members. 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. In 1994 the National Spiritual Assembly of Kazakhstan was elected.
As of 2001, 25 Bahá'í 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. There were more registered communities of Bahá'ís 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.
, Florida
had an attendee from Kazakhstan.
A Kazakhstan citizen worked at at the Bahá'í World Centre
in Haifa
and volunteered participation with the Inspirit troupe which toured Vilnius
in 2004.
A "Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace," which was held on 22 June 2005 had Bahá'í 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.
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 Bahá'í as late as 2001). The U.S. State Department says:
in southeastern Kazakhstan gathered about 650 people from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Western Siberia.
The Association of Religion Data Archives
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
) estimated some 6,000 Bahá'ís in 2005.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Before that time, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, as part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
, had indirect contact with the Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'í Faith
The Bahá'í Faith is a monotheistic religion founded by Bahá'u'lláh in 19th-century Persia, emphasizing the spiritual unity of all humankind. There are an estimated five to six million Bahá'ís around the world in more than 200 countries and territories....
as far back as 1847. Following the arrival of pioneers
Pioneering (Bahá'í)
A pioneer is a volunteer Bahá'í who leaves his or her home to journey to another place for the purpose of teaching the Bahá'í Faith. The act of so moving is termed pioneering. Bahá'ís refrain from using the term "missionary"...
the community grew to be the largest religious community after Islam and Christianity, although only a minor percent of the national whole. By 1994 the National Spiritual Assembly of Kazakhstan was elected and the community had begun to multiply its efforts across various interests.
A part of the Russian Empire
The earliest relationship between the Bahá'í Faith and Kazakhstan came under the sphere of the country's history with Russia. In 1847 the Russian ambassador to TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Prince Dimitri Ivanovich Dolgorukov, requested that the Báb
Báb
Siyyid `Alí Muḥammad Shírází was the founder of Bábism, and one of three central figures of the Bahá'í Faith. He was a merchant from Shíráz, Persia, who at the age of twenty-four claimed to be the promised Qá'im . After his declaration he took the title of Báb meaning "Gate"...
, the herald to the Bahá'í Faith who was imprisoned at Maku
Maku, Iran
Maku is a city in the West Azerbaijan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 41,865, in 10,428 families.It is situated from the Turkish border in a mountain gorge at an altitude of 1634 metres. The Zangmar River cuts through the city. The common languages in Maku are Kurdish and...
, be moved elsewhere. He also condemned the massacres of Iranian religionists and asked for the release of Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh
Bahá'u'lláh , born ' , was the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. He claimed to be the prophetic fulfilment of Bábism, a 19th-century outgrowth of Shí‘ism, but in a broader sense claimed to be a messenger from God referring to the fulfilment of the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, and...
, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith. By the 1880s an organized community of Bahá'ís was established in Ashgabat and later built the first Bahá'í House of Worship
Bahá'í House of Worship
A Bahá'í House of Worship, sometimes referred to by its Arabic name of Mashriqu'l-Adhkár ,is the designation of a place of worship, or temple, of the Bahá'í Faith...
in 1913-1918.
Soviet period
By the time of the October RevolutionOctober Revolution
The October Revolution , also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution , Red October, the October Uprising or the Bolshevik Revolution, was a political revolution and a part of the Russian Revolution of 1917...
Bahá'ís had spread through Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
with the community in Ashgabat numbering about two thousand people. The community of Ashgabat had developed a library, hospital, hotel and Bahá'í school
Bahá'í school
A Bahá'í school at its simplest would be a school run officially by the Bahá'í institutions in its jurisdiction and may be a local class or set of classes, normally run weekly where children get together to study about Bahá'í teachings, Bahá'í central figures, or Bahá'í administration...
s — including a school for girls — all open to all people regardless of religion. After the October Revolution and the ban on religion, the Bahá'ís (strictly adhering to their principle of obedience to legal government) abandoned their administration and allowed their properties to be nationalized. By 1938, after numerous arrests and a policy of oppression of religion, most Bahá'ís were sent to prisons and camps or sent abroad. There were at this time some 1,400 families of Bahá'ís resident in Ashgabat. The authorities arrested every adult male Bahá'í. The women and children were deported to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, while the men were either deported or sentenced to long terms of imprisonment or exile. Many were sent to Pavlodar
Pavlodar
Pavlodar is a city in northeastern Kazakhstan and the capital of Pavlodar Province. It is located 350 km northeast of the national capital Astana, and 400 km southeast of the Russian city of Omsk along the Irtysh River. , the city has a population of 331710...
in northern Kazakhstan. Bahá'í communities in 38 cities ceased to exist.
Bahá'ís had managed to re-enter various countries of the Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
throughout the 1950s, following a plan of the head of the religion at the time, Shoghi Effendi
Shoghi Effendi
Shoghí Effendí Rabbání , better known as Shoghi Effendi, was the Guardian and appointed head of the Bahá'í Faith from 1921 until his death in 1957...
. By 1953 the first pioneers
Pioneering (Bahá'í)
A pioneer is a volunteer Bahá'í who leaves his or her home to journey to another place for the purpose of teaching the Bahá'í Faith. The act of so moving is termed pioneering. Bahá'ís refrain from using the term "missionary"...
arrived in Kazakhstan. A pair of small communities are listed in 1963.
Development of the community
There is evidence that the Bahá'í Faith started to grow across the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in the 1980s. In 1991 a Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly of the Soviet Union was elected but was quickly split among its former members. In 1992, a regional National Spiritual Assembly for the whole of Central Asia (Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...
, Kazakhstan, Kirgizia, Tajikistan
Tajikistan
Tajikistan , officially the Republic of Tajikistan , is a mountainous landlocked country in Central Asia. Afghanistan borders it to the south, Uzbekistan to the west, Kyrgyzstan to the north, and China to the east....
, and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
) was formed with its seat in Ashkhabad. In 1994 the National Spiritual Assembly of Kazakhstan was elected.
As of 2001, 25 Bahá'í 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
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
.) Local Spiritual Assemblies had been registered in many Kazakh cities. There were more registered communities of Bahá'ís 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.
- A 2001 hostile newspaper article characterized the religion with various hostile statements as part of a generally hostile environment against several minority religions according to United States government reports. See Freedom of religion in KazakhstanFreedom of religion in KazakhstanThe Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the various religious communities worship largely without government interference. Local officials attempt on occasion to limit the practice of religion by some nontraditional groups; however, higher-level officials or courts occasionally...
. - The government of Kazakhstan voted against a United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
General AssemblyUnited Nations General AssemblyFor two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...
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. See Persecution of Bahá'ísPersecution of Bahá'ísThe persecution of Bahá'ís is the religious persecution of Bahá'ís in various countries, especially in Iran, where the Bahá'í Faith originated and the location of one of the largest Bahá'í populations in the world...
. - 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 Baháí Faith considered the situation no longer repressive.
Modern community
In 2002 Bahá'í Conference on Social and Economic Development for the Americas, held in OrlandoOrlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
had an attendee from Kazakhstan.
A Kazakhstan citizen worked at at the Bahá'í World Centre
Bahá'í World Centre
The Bahá'í World Centre is the name given to the spiritual and administrative centre of the Bahá'í Faith. The World Centre consists of the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh near Acre, Israel, the Shrine of the Báb and its gardens on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel, and various other buildings in the area...
in Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
and volunteered participation with the Inspirit troupe which toured Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
in 2004.
A "Conference on Interfaith Cooperation for Peace," which was held on 22 June 2005 had Bahá'í 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.
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 Bahá'í as late as 2001). 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.A regional conference in 2008 on the progress of the religion in Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
in southeastern Kazakhstan gathered about 650 people from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Western Siberia.
The Association of Religion Data Archives
Association of religion data archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives is a free source of online information related to American and international religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997, and online since 1998, the archive was initially targeted at researchers interested in American religion...
(relying on World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia
World Christian Encyclopedia is a reference work published by Oxford University Press, known for providing membership statistics for major and minor world religions in every country of the world, including historical data and projections of future populations.The first edition, by David B. Barrett,...
) estimated some 6,000 Bahá'ís in 2005.
See also
- Religion in KazakhstanReligion in KazakhstanIslam is the largest religion in Kazakhstan, followed by Russian Orthodox Christianity. According to a 2009 national census, 70.2% of Kazakhstan's population is Muslim, 20.6% Christian, 0.1% Buddhists, 0.2% others , and 2.8% non-believers, while 0.5% chose to not to answer.The majority are Sunni of...
- Freedom of religion in KazakhstanFreedom of religion in KazakhstanThe Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the various religious communities worship largely without government interference. Local officials attempt on occasion to limit the practice of religion by some nontraditional groups; however, higher-level officials or courts occasionally...
- History of KazakhstanHistory of KazakhstanThe history of Kazakhstan describes the human past in the Eurasia's largest segment of the steppe belt that was the home and crossroads for numerous human groups starting with extinct Pithecanthropus and Sinanthropus 1 mln - 800,000 in the Karatau Mountains, Caspian and Balkhash areas; Neanderthals...
- List of cities in Kazakhstan
- Bahá'í Faith in UkraineBahá'í Faith in UkraineThe Bahá'í Faith in Ukraine began during the policy of oppression of religion in the former Soviet Union. Before that time, Ukraine, as part of the Russian Empire, would have had indirect contact with the Bahá'í Faith as far back as 1847...
- Bahá'í Faith in UzbekistanBahá'í Faith in UzbekistanThe Bahá'í Faith in Uzbekistan began in the lifetime of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the religion. Circa 1918 there was an estimated 1900 Bahá'ís in Tashkent. By the period of the policy of oppression of religion in the former Soviet Union the communities shrank away - by 1963 in the entire USSR...