Religion

Religion in Kazakhstan is undergoing transformation. In the ninth century, Arabs introduced Islam to the region, and more than a thousand years later, Russian settlers from the north introduced Russian Orthodoxy. For the most part, no religion was practiced in the region during the seventy years of Soviet influence; religious participation was prohibited, and many churches and mosques were destroyed—religious traditions were lost in the name of Soviet atheism. At the turn of the century, 47 percent of the population identified as Muslim (primarily Sunni) and 44 percent as Russian Orthodox.

However, few people practice religion in any formal way, but Kazakhs have incorporated religion into some aspects of their daily lives; for example, when they pass graveyards where someone they know is buried, they cover their faces in a short prayer, and they frequently say prayers after meals. In everyday speech, phrases like "God willing" and "this is from God" are common. In Kazakhstan, there are almost no visible tensions between Muslims and Christians. Religion has been such a nonfactor for so long, and continues to occupy so little of daily life, that it is simply not an issue between Russians and Kazakhs.