The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan met with the chief imam of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan in the Akmola region

April 9, 2025. Kokshetau. Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan met with the chief imam of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan in the Akmola region Kuanysh Zhumabaevich Sabit.

The meeting was attended by: Archbishop Varsonofy of Kokshetau and Akmola, secretary of the Kokshetau diocesan administration priest Valery Anferov, assistant to the metropolitan I.E. Yatsenko; head of the department for religious affairs of the Akmola region B.N. Kasenov.

After exchanging greetings, the Head of the Metropolitan District introduced the newly appointed administrator of the Kokshetau diocese, Archbishop Varsonofy, to the representative of the DUMK.

K.Zh. Sabit told the hierarchs about the life of Muslims in the Akmola region, noting that there are 90 mosques in the region, in which 180 religious workers serving.

Archbishop Varsonofy told Kuanysh Zhumabaevich that he has considerable experience in interacting with followers of Islam, since he lived and carried out church obediences in Adygea for several years.

The head of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan, the head of the Kokshetau diocese and the regional imam discussed various aspects of religious life in the region and the prospects for the development of interfaith dialogue.

“Our country is a secular state, but traditional religions, first of all Islam of the Hanafi madhhab and Orthodox Christianity, have always occupied and continue to occupy a special position in the life of Kazakhstan, which is invariably emphasized by the President of Kazakhstan K.-Zh.K. Tokayev. For many decades, the Orthodox Church has been actively involved in interreligious dialogue and the most important area of this work remains dialogue with Islam,” Metropolitan Alexander noted, in particular.

An exchange of views took place on a wide range of issues of mutual interest.

Metropolitan Alexander announced the arrival of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' to the Republic, which will take place in September of this year. The Metropolitan noted that His Holiness will visit the place of the exploits and painful death of Orthodox new martyrs and the mass burial of prisoners of the Akmola camp for the wives of traitors to the Motherland - "ALZHIR" in the Tselinograd district of the Akmola region, where he will consecrate the foundation stone of the museum in honor of the martyrs for the faith.
The meeting took place in a friendly atmosphere.