Visit to take pope to edge of global crisis

National Catholic Reporter, Sept 28, 2001 by John Thavis

Pope John Paul II's trip to Kazakstan will take him to the perimeter of a global crisis zone, a place where Islamic militancy and Western military force soon may collide.

The pope scheduled his Sept. 22-25 visit to Kazakstan months ago, well before the terrorist attacks that left nearly 6,000 people dead in New York and Washington.

But as U.S. leaders laid responsibility for the attacks on Osama bin Laden and his host country, Afghanistan, the papal visit suddenly felt the heat of the simmering political-religious cauldron in Central Asia.

Kazakstan, the first leg of a trip that also will take the pontiff to Armenia, is situated about 200 miles north of Afghanistan. As large as Western Europe, it stretches from China to Western Russia.

Kazakstan's population is approximately evenly divided between Muslims and predominantly Russian Orthodox Christians. Catholics make up just 2 to 3 percent of Kazakstan's 16.8 million people.

If bombs start falling in Afghanistan, many experts predict a radicalization of Muslims throughout the area. Complicating the picture, the pope was to arrive in Kazakstan just as the United States was pressing Afghanistan to hand over bin Laden for prosecution -- a demand that immediately provoked in the region demonstrations against the West.

Vatican officials were certain the pope would not be in harm's way and said no serious consideration was given to canceling the trip. The papal events, which many Muslims were expected to attend, were all scheduled for the capital city of Astana, about 850 miles from Afghanistan.

But the Vatican is aware that these new developments may challenge the delicate religious and ethnic balance in Kazakstan. They also will challenge the pope: As he preaches interfaith tolerance and dialogue in Kazakstan, many Muslims there will be hearing talk of a war against the West.

A year ago, Kazak President Nursultan Nazarbayev warned that the Taliban Islamic militia, which roles Afghanistan, and the Taliban's Saudi-born guest, bin Laden, were aiming their fundamentalist efforts specifically at Kazakstan, especially the southern part of the country, where Islamic literature flourishes and radical preachers easily cross over the borders.

Even before the pope arrived in Central Asia, these political realities were affecting what the pontiff said about such basic issues as religious freedom. Welcoming the new ambassador from Kazakstan to the Holy See in mid-September, the pope praised the country for the legal protections it provides the Catholic church.

The pope wanted to offer public encouragement for what is a relatively tolerant policy in that part of the world. But he did not mention the fact that human rights groups and the U.S. State Department have faulted Kazakstan for some of its policies toward religion.

The problem is that in order to curb fundamentalism, the Kazak authorities have been heavy-handed in their treatment of Islamic and Christian groups they consider extremist. According to the most recent U.S. State Department human rights report, that includes harassment of missionaries, denial of visas and the use of intelligence services to monitor religious groups.

Last year, for example, the government announced it was recalling all young Muslim students from abroad to prevent them from being radicalized. During the same period, Jehovah's Witnesses frequently were prevented from registering, meeting or renting stadiums in Kazakstan.

Some Muslim and Christian groups have complained that the distinction the government sometimes makes between "traditional" and "nontraditional" religions is inherently unfair.

The vast majority of Kazakstan's Muslims are Sunni, with a tradition of tolerance. The constitution defines the country as a secular state. The government has made no secret of its opposition to the spread of religious extremism from Afghanistan and other neighboring states.

But in the wake of the terrorist attacks, Kazakstan inevitably has been drawn closer into the political conflict to the south. A week before the pope's scheduled arrival, Nazarbayev visited the U.S. Embassy and pledged his country was willing to support U.S. counterterrorism measures with "all facilities available."

He even said Kazakstan would be willing to lend military assistance if President Bush asked. He acknowledged concern that Islamic militancy might radiate outward from Afghanistan, but said it was more important to stand united against terrorism, the "most important scourge of the 21st century."

Meanwhile, Kazak authorities have beefed up police protection for the papal visit, deploying 2,400 police and troops in Astana, a city of 350,000 people.

Kazak Foreign Minister Bulat Iskakov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying that the "unprecedented" security measures were in response to the attacks in New York and Washington.