More than 14 thousand people withdrawn from radical religious groups through social media

The Ministry of Information and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan spoke about the ongoing work aimed at curbing the spread of radical ideology in the society, Kazinform correspondent reports.

“The main strategic directions of the activities of the Ministry in the religious sphere are aimed at strengthening the secular principles of the development of the state, ensuring harmonious relations between the state and confessions and preventing the spread of radical narratives in the society. Activities conducted in the religious sphere on the basis of these strategic directions are based on targeted information and education, countering religious extremist narratives in the Internet space, as well as rehabilitation and de-radicalization,” the agency responded to a request from a Kazinform correspondent.

The Ministry indicates that measures have been taken to improve the religious literacy of the general public, clarify the priorities of national policy in the religious sphere, prevent religious extremism and develop immunity against radical religious ideologies. To date, this work is being organized by 228 regional outreach groups on religious issues, comprising 3,028 people.

 “In the first half of 2023, 17,500 outreach events were organized, reaching about 700,000 people. It is known that the narratives of radical religious movements are mainly spread through Internet resources. The ministry is working on counternarratives to oppose religious extremism in the Internet space. In 2023, more than 11,000 illegal radical materials were destroyed and blocked. More than 14,000 people have been deduced from radical religious groups through social networks,” the ministry said.

According to the Ministry of Information and Social Development, highly qualified theologians and psychologists are involved in the rehabilitation activities. They are capable of resisting the propaganda of the narratives of destructive religious movements and work on educating the public in the principles of traditional Islam and the values of Kazakhstani society. They also use resources of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan. In general, these educational activities led to a decrease in the number of people who adhere to the ideology of religious extremism. There is a visible rejection of radical and extremist views and ideas in the country.