On the last night of Ramadan, loud prayers were heard from the powerful speakers of a mosque in the center of Nur Sultan, the capital of Kazakhstan.
But despite this the crowd did not flock to the place in droves.
Even in the city restaurants most people did not wait until it got dark, emptied the plates and glasses and did not abstain from alcohol, without being moved by the fact that they did not keep the commandments of the day.
"For us, Ramadan is a matter of tradition and not of Islam," one of the diners tried to explain. "It is very important to preserve the ancestral tradition."
Arlen Karin, the secretary of state of Kazakhstan, is not surprised by the piety of the people of Kazakhstan, but is quick to mention that it also has a worrying Islamist minority.
Karin knows what he's talking about.
Prior to his meteoric rise in the Kazakh government's hierarchical ladder, he specialized in the study of terrorism based on jihadist ideology, and the challenges he poses to the security of his country and Central Asia.
In 2014 he published the book "Soldiers of the Caliphate: Myths and Reality", in which he described how radical Islam gained a foothold in Kazakhstan.
"Until 2011 we were not at all familiar with the phenomenon of jihadism," Karin claims, "but then the first attacks on an Islamist background came and put Kazakhstan in a new state. "He tried to impose a communist ideology. That ideology disappeared, and in its place the question arose of who we are."
"Tradition is more important than religion."
Hazert-Sultan Mosque in the capital, Photo: AFP
Karin does not belong to the academics who lock themselves in the Ivory Tower.
His research was based on a careful study of the biographies of 225 Islamist terror suspects, whom he interviewed at length in Kazakhstan prisons.
In the end, no common sociological common denominator was found between them and their resumes, Karin notes.
The terrorists came from all walks of life and from all walks of life.
The desperate search for identity and the influx of extremist ideas, did not miss any sector.
The temptation of ISIS and the Taliban
Members of Kazakh terrorist networks have actively participated in the fighting in Afghanistan and Syria, albeit to a different extent.
Taliban slogans attracted about 200 Kazakh citizens to Afghanistan.
In contrast, the attraction of the Islamic State was much greater, causing a thousand Kazakh citizens to leave their homeland and establish themselves under the black flags of ISIS.
The difference is due to practical reasons, Karin is convinced.
The Islamist recruits had a hard time getting from Kazakhstan to Afghanistan - they had to make the long way to Turkey and from there to move to Iran and Pakistan to reach their destination.
It took a lot of time (between a month and three months) and a lot of money (about $ 5,000).
In addition, when they arrived in Afghanistan, the recruits were required to pay an additional $ 5,000 of their own money for weapons and military training.
In contrast, ISIS propaganda actually promised mountaineers mountains and hills, drawing the Islamic Caliphate as a new Eldorado.
As a result, Syria has become a magnet for entire families of Islamic zealots from Kazakhstan.
After the defeat of the Islamic State, the men were killed or disappeared, while the women and children, most of whom were already born in Syria, were thrown into the al-Hull DP camp, which housed no less than 70,000 ISIS fighters.
"Like other countries, for some time we have been debating the question of the treatment of the citizens of Kazakhstan in this camp," Karin admits.
"In 2018, it was decided to return between 500 and 600 children, in addition to close to 200 women and ten men. Return to a secular lifestyle or to moderate Islam. "
Alternatives are needed to depend on Russia.
An oil rig in Mangistau Province, Kazakhstan,
Is the land that gave rise to those who traveled to Afghanistan and Syria likely to spawn a new jihadist generation?
"Our greatest achievement is preventing the establishment of a jihadist organization in Kazakhstan. As far as we know, 40-30 Kazakhs are now involved in global jihadist activities outside Kazakhstan's borders, including Rinat Habidullah, the man responsible for terrorist attacks in Kazakhstan itself. New risks: Despite the differences between the Taliban and ISIS, in the eyes of ordinary extremists, they both symbolize the same ideas.
"The victory of the Taliban and what is perceived as a US escape from Afghanistan, obliges Kazakhstan to be vigilant and pragmatic, and not to rely on the help of powers.
There is currently no threat of Taliban invasion, but there are fears of an influx of refugees, drug smuggling and the like. "
Despite Karin’s background, the tasks he now faces are broader than the struggle against radical Islam.
He is considered by many to be close to President Kasim-Jumart Tokayev and the "engine" behind the comprehensive plan for government reform initiated by the president.
"These are unprecedented steps not only for Kazakhstan but for all the countries in the region," he argues passionately.
When Kazakhstan set out as a country following the disintegration of the USSR, no one imagined that its first president, Norsultan Nazarbayev, would complete a three-decade term as sole ruler. The freedoms of the individual and political freedom, too.
The riots in January this year, Photo: Reuters
In 2019, Nazarevev resigned and handed over the baton to Tokyev, then chairman of the Kazakh Senate. For national security.
The duet of the two personalities apparently broke down in early January 2022, when a wave of riots swept the cities of Kazakhstan.
Initially, protesters in the west of the country protested the jump in gas prices, but the silent protest was soon replaced by clashes with police.
The riots left at least 225 dead, great destruction and a sense of shock, both among the ruling elite and among the general public.
President Tokyev did not hesitate and took a series of steps, in which he removed from office the people of Nazarbayev and concentrated all powers in his hands and in the hands of his people.
Fear from China and Russia
In the spirit of the tradition of the former Soviet Union, it could be assumed that the Kazakh regime would only become more centralized, but Tokiev was surprised.
"For example, it has been proposed to ease the requirements for the formation of new parties, so that Kazakhstan ceases to be a one-party state," Karin explains. "Represent their constituencies. The parliament will oversee the implementation of the budget, and the State Audit Office and the Constitutional Court will be established. The riots in January were a tragic event, but they hastened a process of recovery and modernization."
Secretary of State, Karin,
The reform, which will be put to a referendum on June 5, promises to touch on two other very sensitive aspects: the tradition of nepotism and the concentration of power by groups of oligarchs.
Relatives of the president will be banned from holding senior positions in the civil service and in government and semi-government companies.
Unlike this symbolic move, getting rid of the oligarchs' grip will be more difficult, because about half of Kazakhstan's wealth is concentrated in the hands of 160 individuals who will not give up their share.
"If we do not succeed, there is a real risk that we will cease to exist as a country, or that we will become dependent on other countries that are stronger than us," says Igul Kopsen, chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the Mejilis, the lower house of parliament. Its fears.
Kazakhstan looks at its powerful neighbors - China and Russia - with suspicion, and not in vain. Modern towards the Kazakh minority.
In the past, it was the fear of the Chinese dragon that pushed the Kazakhs into the hands of the Russian bear, but its embrace marks are also remembered in Kazakhstan.
Russians make up close to a quarter of its population, and in Moscow "concerns" are already being heard about the status of the Russian language in Kazakhstan.
This is exactly how, by the way, Russian justifications for intervening in Ukraine began to be built.
Kazakhstan is troubled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the possible consequences of Western sanctions on Russia.
Surprised.
President Tokiev, Photo: Reuters
"Almost all of our oil, which is exported to the West and Israel, passes through Russia's transmission system," Kazakhstan's deputy foreign minister Roman and Silenko clarified, "and therefore sanctions on Russia could hurt our exports. Kazakhstan needs investment to diversify its oil export options. Russia can be bypassed if we transfer oil through the Caspian Sea to Azerbaijan, from where it will flow through an existing pipeline to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, and from there it can also be transported to Israel. From Russia and Ukraine. "
Kupsen also emphasizes the importance attached to ties with Israel in the Muslim state that is happy to reach out: No?".
Were we wrong?
Fixed!
If you found an error in the article, we'll be happy for you to share it with us