REUTERS/Kazakhstan Government Press Service/Shukur Shakhay
SGA's Joel Griffith says the harsher law prohibits children from participating in religious gatherings without permission from both parents, and it bans the distribution of religious materials in public places. The allowance is distribution in permanent buildings designated by the state.
The Senate also removed judges' discretion over the level of fines imposed for violating the Religion Law. It could be trouble for next year's "Immanuel's Child" and "Christmas for Orphans" programs. "If that law actually does clear all hurdles and is signed into law by Kazakhstan's president, obviously, there is some potential impact."
Forum 18 reports the Majilis were set to discuss the Senate changes on the same day as a roundtable with Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) experts was scheduled to begin.
Pray, because while the draft is not officially a law yet, the likelihood is that it will pass. Griffith explains, "We've seen a general trend for the past couple of years with former Soviet countries tightening up their restrictions on religious observance, especially in countries that have a Muslim majority. So I think it is probably fairly realistic, unless the Lord intervenes, that we could continue to see these kinds of restrictions take place."
