Head of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan Meets with Chief Imam of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan for Akmola Region

April 9, 2025 – Kokshetau. Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan met with Kuanish Zhumabayevich Sabit, Chief Imam of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan (SAMK) for the Akmola Region.

Participating in the meeting were: Archbishop Barsanuphius of Kokshetau and Akmola, Priest Valery Anferov – Secretary of the Kokshetau Diocesan Administration, I.E. Yatsenko – Assistant to the Metropolitan, and B.N. Kasenov – Head of the Department for Religious Affairs of Akmola Region.

After exchanging greetings, the Head of the Metropolitan District introduced the newly appointed ruling hierarch of the Kokshetau Diocese – Archbishop Barsanuphius – to the representative of SAMK.

K.Zh. Sabit spoke to the hierarchs about the life of the Muslim community in the Akmola Region, noting that 90 mosques are currently active in the region, served by 180 religious personnel.

Archbishop Barsanuphius shared that he has substantial experience interacting with followers of Islam, having lived and served in the Republic of Adygea for several years.

The Head of the Orthodox Church in Kazakhstan, the new diocesan administrator, and the regional imam discussed various aspects of religious life in the region and the prospects for developing interfaith dialogue.

“Our country is a secular state, but traditional religions – first and foremost Hanafi Islam and Orthodox Christianity – have always held, and continue to hold, a special place in the life of Kazakhstan, as consistently emphasized by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. For many decades, the Orthodox Church has been an active participant in interreligious dialogue, and one of the most important aspects of this work is our ongoing dialogue with Islam,” said Metropolitan Alexander.

The participants exchanged views on a wide range of mutually significant issues.

Metropolitan Alexander announced the upcoming visit of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to the Republic, scheduled for September this year. The Metropolitan noted that His Holiness will visit the site of the martyrdom and suffering of the Orthodox New Martyrs, where many innocent women were buried – prisoners of the Akmolinsk Camp for the Wives of Traitors to the Motherland (ALZHIR) – located in the Tselinograd District of Akmola Region. There, the Patriarch will consecrate a cornerstone for a future museum in honor of these faithful strugglers.

The meeting took place in a spirit of warmth and mutual respect.