The majority of Kazakhstan's citizens
are Sunni of the Hanafi school,
traditionally including ethnic Kazakhs,
who constitute about 63.6% of the
population, as well as ethnic Uzbeks,
Uighurs, and Tatars. Less than 1% are
part of the Shafi`i and Shi'a. There are
a total of 2,300 mosques, all of them
affiliated with the "Spiritual
Association of Muslims of Kazakhstan",
headed by a supreme mufti. The Eid
al-Adha is recognized as a national
holiday.
Less than 25% of the population of
Kazakhstan is Russian Orthodox,
traditionally including ethnic Russians,
Ukrainians and Belarusians. Other
Christian groups include Roman
Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah's
Witnesses and Mormons. There are a total
of 265 registered Orthodox churches, 93
Roman Catholic churches, and 543
Protestant churches and prayer houses.
Christmas, rendered in the Russian
Orthodox manner according to the Julian
calendar, is recognized as a national
holiday in Kazakhstan.
Other religious registered groups
include Judaism, the Bahá'í Faith,
Hinduism, Buddhism, the Church of
Scientology, Christian Science, and the
Unification Church.
The country is multiethnic, with a long
tradition of tolerance and secularism.
Since independence, the number of
mosques and churches has increased
greatly. However, the population is
sometimes wary of minority religious
groups and groups that proselytize.
There were several reports of citizens
filing complaints with authorities after
their family members became involved
with such groups. Leaders of the four
religious groups the government
considers "traditional" – Islam, Russian
Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and
Judaism – reported general acceptance
and tolerance that other religious
groups did not always enjoy.
Religious history 
The country has historically hosted a
wide variety of ethnic groups with
varying religions. Tolerance to other
societies has become a part of the
Kazakh culture. The foundation of an
independent republic, following the
disintegration of the USSR, has launched
a great deal of changes in every aspect
of people's lives. Religiosity of the
population, as an essential part of any
cultural identity, has undergone dynamic
transformations as well.
After decades of suppressed culture, the
people were feeling a great need to
exhibit their ethnic identity – in part
through religion. Quantitative research
shows that for the first years after the
establishment of the new laws, waiving
any restrictions on religious beliefs
and proclaiming full freedom of
confessions, the country experienced a
huge spike in religious activity of its
citizens. Hundreds of mosques,
synagogues, churches, and other
religious structures were built in a
matter of years. All represented
religions benefited from increased
number of members and facilities. Many
confessions that were absent before
independence made their way into the
country, appealing to hundreds of
people. The government supported this
activity, and has done its best to
provide equality among all religious
organizations and their followers. In
the late 1990s, however, a slight
decline in religiosity occurred. The
draft religion law being considered in
June 2008 has raised international
concern over whether there is an
intention to meet general standards of
freedom of religion and human rights.
Faiths 
= Islam =
Islam is the most commonly practiced
religion in Kazakhstan; it was
introduced to the region during the 9th
century by the Arabs. Traditionally
ethnic Kazakhs are Sunni Muslims who
mainly follow the Hanafi school. There
are few Ahmadi Muslims, who face
persecution in the country. Kazakhs
including other ethnic groups of Muslim
background make up over 90 per cent of
all Muslims. The southern region of the
country has the highest concentration of
self-identified practicing Muslims.
= Christianity =
Christianity in Kazakhstan is the second
most practiced religion after Islam.
Most Christian citizens are Russians,
and to a lesser extent Ukrainians and
Belarusians, who belong to the Russian
Orthodox Church. According to a 2009
national census, approximately 26% of
the population of Kazakhstan identifies
as Christian. 1.5 percent of the
population is German, most of whom
follow Roman Catholicism or Lutheranism.
There are also many Presbyterians,
Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day
Adventists, and Pentecostals.
Methodists, Mennonites, and Mormons have
also registered churches with the
government. According to 2009 national
census, 39,172 Kazakhs are Christians.
= Bahá'í Faith =
The Bahá'í Faith in Kazakhstan began
during the policy of oppression of
religion in the former Soviet Union.
Before that time, Kazakhstan, as part of
the Russian Empire, would have had
indirect contact with the Bahá'í Faith
as far back as 1847. Following the
entrance of pioneers the community grew
to be the largest religious community
after Islam and Christianity, though
only a few percent of the nation. By
1994 the National Spiritual Assembly of
Kazakhstan was elected and the community
has begun to multiply its efforts across
various interests. The Association of
Religion Data Archives estimated some
6,000 Bahá'ís in 2005.
= Judaism =
Kazakh Jews have a long history. There
are approximately 12,000 to 30,000 Jews
in Kazakhstan, less than 1% of the
population. Most Kazakh Jews are
Ashkenazi and speak Russian.
= Hinduism =
Hindus in Kazakhstan are mainly of the
ISKCON sect and by Diaspora Hindus from
India. The Indian community in Central
Asia, which comprises Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, numbers
only 2732 out of a total population of
55.5 million. It consists mainly of
NRIs.
= Pagan =
Slavic Neopaganism
Tengriism
Freedom of religion and religious
tolerance 
Kazakhstan has a very diverse and stable
religious background. However, some
reported occurrences of persecution
against Hare Krishnas and Jehovah's
Witnesses for proselytizing have raised
concern in the international community.
References 
This article incorporates public domain
material from websites or documents of
the Library of Congress Country Studies.
