Seventh-day Adventists in Kazakhstan joined in establishing a chapter of the International Religious Liberty Association last month, making it the third Muslim country with an IRLA presence.

Kazakhstan has presented no opposition for religious groups who want religious freedom, according to Dr. John Graz, IRLA secretary-general. But, he says, the Kazakhstan government, and many governments in central Asia, are very sensitive about religious freedom.

“They are afraid religious freedom will open the door to religious extremists,” Graz says. “They believe that many groups can use religion with a hidden agenda. So we have to explain … what religious freedom means. Religious freedom is not dangerous. Religious freedom is a plus for peace, for justice in every society. We can understand the concern of the government, but, at the same time, we believe religious freedom is the best answer when it is well understood.

“There are limitations about religious freedom, which is respect of human rights,” Graz adds. “If you respect human rights, you cannot impose what you believe on others. You can propose, but not impose.”

The groundwork for obtaining government support included meeting with government authorities, religious leaders, scholars and representatives of diplomatic organizations.

“For the [Adventist] [C]hurch, it was an important meeting because the church was visible at the religious level. The church was very involved in promoting religious freedom. All the community recognized the involvement of the Adventist Church in promoting religious freedom,” Graz says.

Graz explains that the role of the IRLA is to encourage dialogue and communication between the various faith groups, rather than ignoring each other or fighting with each other.

Participants in the Kazakhstan IRLA meeting in Almaty included representatives from the Buddhist, Muslim, Orthodox, Christian, Jewish, Lutheran, Protestant and Evangelical faith communities.

The IRLA was founded in 1893 by Adventist church leaders and has developed into a non-sectarian organization dedicated to safeguarding religious civil rights around the world. There are some 66 international chapters and affiliated associations of the IRLA worldwide. More than 3,500 Adventist church members worship in 70 congregations throughout Kazakhstan.