Nazarbayev suggests adopting legislation to ban Kazakh girls from 'covering themselves with black clothes'
ASTANA. April 20 (Interfax) - Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev raised the issue of religious ignorance of the young generation in a meeting with representatives of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Kazakhstan.
"As a result of ignorance, our young people grow beards and cut their trousers short. The number of Kazakh girls who fully cover themselves with black clothes is increasing. It doesn't correspond with our traditions or our people. The issue of adopting a legislative ban on that needs to be studied. Kazakh people wear black clothes during mourning," the president said.
The Kazakh president spoke about the history of Kazakh culture and the traditional clothes of Kazakh women, saying that there is no connection between black clothes and religion. "If young people follow recommendations that are foreign to our people, what will happen to the state? We will not let that happen," he said.
"Independent Kazakhstan should have a bright future, the nation should be united, the country should be secular and it should continue developing. We will not tolerate those who are against our goal. It's not only the interests of the state administration, it's about the interests of all people of Kazakhstan, their future," Nazarbayev said.
Having mentioned the importance of religious awareness among the population, the president spoke about the need to promote patriotic education in the work of imams.
"A true Muslim is not learned by clothes, the thing that makes them different is their inner faith. If love is present in a person's heart, it means he has faith. We should move towards the civilized world, learn science and knowledge. Until the 18th and the 19th centuries, the Muslim world was a leader in the world. It was a source of science, the motherland of philosophers, doctors and writers. We have now lost leadership positions in these issues," Nazarbayev said.
Kazakhstan should keep its national values, culture and traditions in the age of development of digital technologies, the president said.
"Our citizens now get various information via the Internet. In the same way, they receive access to non-traditional teachings. Various methods and technologies are used for that. We should also use information technologies to fight them. If need be, the state is ready to support the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Kazakhstan," the president said.
"In my program article, I gave special attention to the Tugan Zher program, which will help us collect knowledge on every region, on every locality. Patriotism should be in each of us. In this regard, we are asking that attention be given to the issue of love of the Motherland in sermons," the Kazakh president said.
