Kyrgyzstan (MNN) ― Kyrgyzstan has introduced a new law bringing in sweeping controls on religious education.
Forum 18 News Service first reported on the draft text. They also talked to Kanybek Osmonaliev, Head of the State Agency for Religious Affairs, who said, "The law will not be restrictive but promote orderliness in the sphere of religious education."
When further pressed by Forum 18 on when the proposed law will go to Parliament, Osmonaliev responded: "The law is being discussed in the public and religious organisations. After the discussions are over, we will take comments from all the interested parties and introduce the law with the comments to the Parliament." No deadline was given.
Joel Griffith with Slavic Gospel Association says, "Apparently this goes as far as deciding who can open these religious educational institutions. It would ban all but approved or licensed institutions, and it would ban individuals from seeking religious education abroad without state approval."
Griffith, reading between the lines, says it's possible the legislation was aimed at curbing extremist Islamist training schools in Kyrgyzstan. "They can't just target one group--for instance, the Islamic radicals. That is a largely-Muslim area. But if they're going to target everybody, they're going to have to put pressure on everybody."
Baptists, Lutherans, and Baha'is expressed concerns over the draft law's provisions. It's a slippery slope for Christian workers. "They're beginning to clamp down now on religious groups, and that does include evangelicals."
This draft law follows a new Religion Law in January 2009. Since it was passed, officials have checked up on many religious communities. Unregistered religious communities have been told to halt worship, and for those who seek registration, more obstacles have arisen preventing it.
So far, there have been no public discussions of the law or round tables. Keep praying that the Gospel would go forward unhindered. "Pray that the Lord would protect them, that the Lord would uphold them. Pray that the Lord would change the hearts of the governmental authorities toward evangelical churches."
