No. 46 – June 2015
Author: Alessandro Lundini
Language: Italian
Keywords:
Dialogue of Civilizations
Religions
Kazakhstan
Multicultural societies
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Abstract
This report aims to illustrate the policy of dialogue of the Republic of Kazakhstan and in particular the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. Since gaining its independence in 1991, Kazakh government worked on the creation of social and ethnic harmony, in order to prevent the rise of extremism, separatism and terrorism in a society composed by 130 nationalities and 40 religions. The result was the definition of a new “Kazakhstani” identity, intended to promote Kazakh culture and, at the same time, to encompass all other ethnic and religious identities within the secular and civic Kazakhstani state. One of the results of this policy is the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions. It represents one of the symbols of the involvement of Kazakhstani state in the policy of dialogue of civilization not only within the country but also on an international scale. The purpose is to strengthen cooperation and mutual comprehension between the representatives of world and traditional religions, in order to overcome negative conception of religions as factor of divisions and hate. The report looks at results and documents of the four Congresses held every three years since 2003 and it describes the institutional structure realized over the years. It also discusses other important meetings organized by Kazakhstan and institutional structures created to promote inter-faith dialogue, such as the conference “Common world: progress through diversity”, the World Forum of Spiritual Culture and the International Centre for Cultures and Religions.