The President of Kyrgyzstan held a meeting with religious leaders to discuss the draft law «On Freedom of Religion and Religious Organizations in the Kyrgyz Republic» in a new version.
Sadyr Japarov noted that additional amendments are being made to the draft law, many of which have already been discussed with representatives of the clergy at previous meetings. He emphasized the importance of final approval of all amendments before sending the bill to the Parliament, and also briefly touched on the background of the bill, noting that the initiative to introduce amendments proposed by the State Commission on Religious Affairs two months ago caused a resonance in society and sometimes radical responses.
The President stated that the state does not interfere in religious affairs, and religious leaders should not interfere in the affairs of the state.
He noted that this is the principle of secularism. However, there is currently a mess in the Spiritual Directorate of the Muslims of Kyrgyzstan and the religious sphere as a whole, which manifests itself in the lack of respect for the muftiyat and the council of aalyms.
Sadyr Japarov cited the example of public administration from 2010 to 2020, when the «tug of war» almost led to the destabilization of the republic. He noted: work on revising the Basic Law began in 2020, and then on changing all laws, which led to restoring order in the country and allowing it to embark on the path of development.
It was necessary to develop a draft law «On freedom of religion and religious organizations in the Kyrgyz Republic» in a new version to strengthen the position of the muftiyat and the council of aalyms. The President emphasized that, as in the case of state reforms, the new version of the bill will ensure the order of regulation by all confessions of the republic, in particular unity among Muslims.
According to Sadyr Japarov, the fight against radical elements requires the support of religious figures. He said that it is the muftiyat that has to guide those who have strayed from the true path through sermons and instructions through dawah. At the same time, he assured that dawah is not prohibited under any circumstances.
