On September 24, 2013 in the assembly hall of the M. Kozybayev North Kazakhstan state university took place the republican scientific and practical conference on the subject «Religion and Patriotism».
This action was organized by the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for religions in assistance with SKO Akimat, and also the representatives of the central and local government bodies, regional akimats, heads of the religious, public and youth organizations, scientists, leaders of public associations, mass media, students of higher education institutions, including cadets of 1 course of the Military Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan took part in it. The main objective of the conference was to discuss the role of traditional religions in development of spiritual and moral values of younger generation, youth education in the spirit of patriotism, attraction of its attention to threats and calls of a religious extremism.
In particular the acting chairman of RK Agency for religions Marat Azilkhanov in the performance noted that the contact of the young man with religion has to be directed on creating favorable conditions of a spiritual and moral, patriotic, civil and semantic measures of the person with the cultural and historical past, values of the previous generations, results of their creative activity and dedication at protection of interests of the country. It is necessary to impart youth of feeling of deep responsibility for a family, the people, the country, and respect for traditions, public foundations, and laws.
In the speech of the deputy of Akim of the North Kazakhstan region Farkhat Kuanganov the following figures sounded: The North Kazakhstan region is one of the most multinational and multi-religious regions of Kazakhstan. In the territory of the region the 132 religious associations, from them 64 Islamic, 31 orthodox, 11 Catholic and 26 Protestant carry out their activities.
Besides, there are 160 cult objects, including 65 mosques, 27 orthodox churches, 43 Catholic churches and chapels, 25 Protestant houses of a prayer function in the region.
Today we created favorable conditions of coexistence and effective interaction among the representatives of various religions in the country. As a whole, the religion becomes necessary and, certainly, a positive factor of development of society and the state.
Also the 3-grade students of SKGU of the «History and the right» faculty Vladimir Koposhonok introduced his speech: «The president of our country always notes that it is important to care of the present and the youth future. The considerable part of its program performance is «Social modernization of Kazakhstan is devoted to these problems: 20 steps to Society of General Work». Nursultan Abishevich gives the regrettable fact that the part of youth easily falls prey of religious sects, extremists, the drug-addicted and criminal groups. Unfortunately, among the problems listed by the President, besides drug addiction and crime, the extremism – the phenomenon which is until now is absolutely unfamiliar to Kazakhstan citizens, and now often our contemporaries, such as Otarbayev Erbol is marked out, protecting the rest of our Homeland are compelled showing heroism and self-sacrifice, to stop activity of religious extremists at the price of the health».
Vladimir Yuryevich has mentioned our serviceman, because nowadays he is a 3-year cadet of the military institute of Internal troops, before the conference there was a video prepared by the studio of Committee of Internal troops about a feat of the lance sergeant Erbol Otarbayev. At the end of the video the audience clapped to the hero of the movie for a long time. Our Erbol was the invited guest of scientific and practical conference. At the conclusion part there was a speech addressed to the participants, which is allocated in my article separately. After the video the other participants of the conference approached to him – shook his hand with words of gratitude for its feat.
Here it would be desirable to add that during carrying out the conference Erbol Otarbayev was invited to the local mass media for an interview, when one young journalist asked me: «Who is he, and what can we ask him?” At that moment it became distressing for that fact that they already started to forget about a recent feat of the nice soldier, and some young people don’t know about it at all. And my thoughts were: «The feat of the soldier on a fighting post is estimated by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – the Supreme Commander of RK of the Armed forces with honor, Otarbayev received a well-deserved reward from hands of the head of state, and the people don’t know the hero». And after all, in fact, let’s compare the feat of the gentleman of the award «Aibyn» of the 3 degree given to Erbol Otarbayev with the sports feats of Olympic champions of London. But «Londoners» are known by sight by the whole country and their names are always very famous. If hypothetically to imagine the Olympic champions such as a boxer Serik Sapiyev or the weight-lifter Ilya Ilyin on that wooden «tower» it wouldn’t be the fact that they also heroically would reflect attack of extremists in number of more than 20 people. I hope, eminent athletes won’t have claims to me as I know them personally – with Serik, for example I am familiar personally and still closely communicate with him and with Ilya we often crossed on various sporting events.
Feat is strife to a feat. Everyone gets what he deserves. Someone runs well, someone perfectly plays chess and wins medals for the country and raises the image of Kazakhstan on the international scene. And our armies train competent offenders of the country, straight to shoot and many others, and also never to give in to dangers of our service. Internal troops will always guard the legality and a law and order; will be a barrier for any extremists, trying to destabilize a tolerant situation in the country. The extremist, know that there is always the soldier of Internal troops watching you!
Captain Ruslan Kaiyrkenov,
Petropavlovsk, photo of the author