Members of the Center for the Study of Inter-ethnic and Inter-confessional Processes held a meeting with students and staff members of the University on February 5-6, 2014.

The purpose of the meeting is provision of information and advice on the organization of prevention of religious extremism among students and preparatory work for the implementation of the Bilim + action plan aimed at raising religious literacy in accordance with the Address by the President of Kazakhstan “Kazakhstan-2050 Strategy: New Political Course of the Established State”.

Several aspects of combating religious extremism and preparation of evens to be held under the upcoming Bilim + project were discussed during this meeting.

Member of the Center, theologian Zholdas Bertymuratov explained the basic ideological attitudes and methods used by destructive cults for recruiting young people. He also emphasized how danger pseudo-religious ideas can be for our society.

The Director of the Center Nurzhamal Tyshkanova gave practical advice on the organization of comprehensive work on promoting foundations of traditional culture and its customs, explained peculiarities of working both with mass audience and in small groups using the potential of modern mass media.

The Director of the Center also expressed her opinion regarding the preparation and implementation of the action plan for the upcoming Bilim + project.

After the keynote presentations, participants of the meeting exchanged views on the forms and methods of prevention of destructive cults influence, measures on encouraging students’ activities in learning the correct perception of religious values under the conditions of confessional diversity of the contemporary Kazakh society.

On February 6, there was a lecture by Zholdas Bertymuratov. It was devoted to the ideological differences between the Hanafite Madhab school and non-traditional Muslim sects.