The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the government of Kazakhstan for imposing a fine on a Kazakh actor for quoting from the Quran, Islam’s revealed text, in an Instagram post.
The charges stem from allegations that actor and producer Nurtas Adambay violated Kazakhstan’s laws on religious activity and associations by distributing religious content without proper permission, which is limited to certain locations such as mosques and religious schools.
SEE: Showman Nurtas Adambay fined for quoting Quran verses on social media (inform.kz)
“Religious freedom is a fundamental right of all people worldwide,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “We condemn this authoritarian act by the Kazakh government and ask that the fine be dropped and the unjust law changed to allow true freedom of religious expression.”
He noted that the US State Department said that “while members of many registered religious organizations were able to practice religion without harassment or legal barriers within registered places of worship and private homes, authorities continued to fine, arrest, detain, or imprison individuals on account of their religious beliefs or affiliation” in Kazakhstan.
SEE: Kazakhstan – United States Department of State
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com