Pray for Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is filled with beautiful, diverse geography, from canyons, deserts, and dry grasslands to mountains, lakes, and seas. It is a major producer of grain, coal, oil, natural gas, uranium, copper, and other minerals. In the early 2000s, Kazakhstan was one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, and today, it is the largest economy in Central Asia. Many of the trade routes connecting Europe and Asia pass through this land, including the historic Silk Road. It was ruled by the Soviet Union and gained its independence when the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. During the occupation, it hosted the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, where the Soviet Union conducted 456 nuclear tests, which has caused radiation that still plagues the nation today. Kazakhstan also hosts the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which was the world’s first and operational space launch facility, making it arguably the most significant aerospace facility in Soviet history.

The legacy of the Soviet era lingers in government corruption and the limitation of political rights and civil liberties. The constitution provides freedom of speech, but the government censors the internet, restricting anonymous commenting online. Soviet-era irrigation projects also drained 90 percent of the Aral Sea — once the fourth-largest inland lake in the world. This is widely considered one of the world’s worst human-caused environmental disasters. The nation suffers from industrial pollution and toxic waste in some regions. It also battles widespread alcoholism and drug addiction, though rates have begun to decline over the last decade. The country maintains one of the highest suicide rates in the world, and women continue to face systemic discrimination.

While all religion was suppressed under communism, both Islam and Christianity have grown significantly since then. Today, nearly 70 percent of the nation identifies as Muslim, and it is commonly said that “to be Kazakh is to be Muslim.” Christianity makes up roughly 17 percent of the population, mostly Orthodox; less than 1 percent of the nation is evangelical. The government protects freedom of religion, but it imposes strict laws, which tighten religious registration requirements, restrict religious literature and evangelism, and increase state oversight. These laws were designed to prevent radical Islam, but they also restrict Christians. Christians continue to face persecution and social pressure, especially those who have converted from Islam. Harassment is common from authorities and Muslim family members. Despite this, Kazakhstan is becoming a missionary sending nation, with Kazakh believers reaching out to Central Asia and the Muslim world at large.