IRFN (November 22-December 3): Kazakhstan Passes Restrictive Legislation Governing Religious Freedom

Dec 3, 2008

Feature: Kazakhstan's lower house of Parliament approved controversial legislation on November 26 to increase government control over religious groups. The decision drew criticism from the Organization for Co-operation and Security in Europe (OSCE), of which Kazakhstan will be the president in 2010.  The AP has more.

1.  Nigeria: Deadly Riots Tied to Disputed Elections

JOS – This Nigerian region’s contested election on November 27, the first held in over a decade, devolved into ethnic and religious violence resulting in 300 deaths, the AP reported on December 1. The violence began on November 28 amid reports that the governing People's Democratic Party had prevailed over the main opposition All National People's Party, where opposition members alleged the vote in one ward had been rigged. The clashes ended on November 29 after the military was deployed. The central city of Jos is inhabited by the predominantly Muslim and pastoralist northern population and the predominantly Christian and animist southern farming communities. The northern and southern communities attempt to utilize the region for disparate purposes resulting in an intense struggle over limited resources. The structure of Nigeria's government exacerbates ethnic tensions, in that local governments control enormous budgets in Africa's biggest oil producer, making winning an election highly lucrative.

2.  Cuba: Castro Attends Nation’s First Catholic Beatification

HAVANA – President Raul Castro attended the nation’s first religious beatification on November 29 for Friar Jose Olallo who worked with cholera sufferers and died in 1889, Reuters reported on November 29. Cuban state-run television showed several thousand people packed into a plaza in Camaguey, around 330 miles from Havana, for the ceremony, and the state-run newspaper Granma dedicated the front page of its Friday edition to Olallo's recognition by the Church. After Fidel Castro came to power in an armed revolution in 1959, Cuba expelled priests and Catholics faced decades of official atheism. Ties improved after Cuba guaranteed religious freedom in 1992 and Pope John Paul II visited in 1998. The beatification is viewed as indicative of Cuba and the Catholic Church’s developing ties.

3.  India: Court in Kashmir Determines Hajj Travel is under Constitutional Protection

KASHMIR – India’s High Court directed the State Government to allow 10 pilgrims to perform Hajj and deemed the government’s scrutiny of the intent of the pilgrims as irrelevant, the Greater Kashmir reported on November 28. The court also directed the state to facilitate the pilgrimage of individuals denied travel on charges of “adverse police report,” a euphemism for alleged links with militants. The State Hajj Committee had denied travel documents to 40 intending pilgrims for Hajj, citing the “adverse report.” Ten pilgrims challenged the “adverse report” in the High Court. They had described it as “interference in religious affairs and a violation of Article 25 of the constitution.”  The Court listened to arguments over the past 30 days and dismissed the charges against the petitioners (intended Hajj pilgrims) on November 27.

4.  China: Police Disrupt Buddhist Pilgrimage

XIAHE – Chinese paramilitary police with riot shields and batons took up posts in the Tibetan town of Xiahe during a Buddhist pilgrimage on November 24, the AP reported on November 25. The increased police presence is viewed as China’s attempt to pacify the region as Tibetans have begun to push harder against its rule. The show of force Monday was meant to deter unrest while a local court sentenced a group of Tibetans for taking part in large anti-government protests March 2008 in Xiahe. Beijing maintains that the Dalai Lama is promoting secession, not reconciliation, and that the government is bringing economic development to an impoverished area, while preserving Tibet's culture and religion. After the week-long meeting called to discuss a so-far failed policy of rapprochement with China after 50 years in exile, the Dalai Lama and other exiled leaders said they would maintain their push for genuine autonomy from China.

5.  Malaysia: Islamic Body Bans Yoga

KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s top Islamic body, the National Fatwa Council, issued an edict on November 22 prohibiting Muslims from practicing yoga saying that elements of Hinduism in the ancient Indian exercise could corrupt them, the AP reported on November 22. The National Fatwa Council's chairman, Abdul Shukor Husin, said many Muslims fail to understand that yoga's ultimate aim is to be one with a god of a different religion. The edict reflects the growing influence of conservative Islam in Malaysia, where the majority Muslim Malays lost seats in March 2008 elections and where minority ethnic Chinese and mostly Hindu ethnic Indians have been seeking more rights. Within the past year the council determined that girls who act like boys violate Islam's tenets. The government has also has also forbidden non-Muslims to use the word “Allah,” as the usage would cause confusion for the Muslim population.