The constitution of Kyrgyzstan provides for freedom of religion. However, according to the 2004 International Religious Freedom Report 2004 of the U.S. State Department, the Kyrgyz government is concerned about the growing number of Christian groups, especially Protestants, preaching and working in Kyrgyzstan. Since a revolution swept the previous government from power in March this year, the authorities’ rather negative attitude vis-à-vis such protestant groups hasn’t changed, says Igor Rotar, a specialist on religious developments in Central Asia.

After the collapse of the atheist Soviet Union, many people for the first time in 70 years received the right to believe whatever they wanted. In Kyrgyzstan, as a result, the number of mosques and Russian Orthodox churches increased considerably (Islam and, for the sizeable Russian minority, Orthodox Christianity being the largest faith groups in the country). But Protestantism also expanded rapidly. According to the State Commission on Religious Affairs, (nominal) Muslims made up 84 percent of the total population in 2001, but 79,3 percent in 2004. There currently are some 300 Protestant congregations in Kyrgyzstan, says Rotar. The biggest Protestant Church in Kyrgyzstan is the Church of Jesus Christ, with over 250 members. Other groups active in Kyrgyzstan include the Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah\'s Witnesses. They have members among ethnic Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Kurds, Tatars and Russians.

Over the years, several conflicts resulted from conversions to Christianity in Kyrgyzstan, especially in the southern part of country. They included burial problems and the social exclusion and threats against newly-converted Protestants by their Muslim neighbors. The reasons for conversion remain controversial. Some officials claim a major reason is to gain money by converting; converts allegedly receive about $50 a month for attending services. However, a more likely reason is that the very active protestant churches create an opportunity for many people to become part of a family that gives them a sense of safety and of being cared for – and which can provide them with interesting activities that the state no longer provides for. This is especially apparent in the provinces. Theatres and cinemas in small towns have been closed after the fall of the Soviet Union, creating a definite lack of entertainment. Drinking in filthy bars – or just on the streets – is about the only recreation available in such places.

Religion sometimes offers a way out of this. Quite a few people rediscover their Muslim roots. Others turn to proselytizing protestant groups, who apart from the Bible have social programs on offer. On its website, the Church of Jesus Christ promises to “show the way of emancipation from the slavery of drunkenness, drug addiction, illnesses and diseases.” But in addition, one of the main aims of this church, still according to its website, is to organize youths’ spare time, with different youth music programs, study programs and conferences. So it’s easy to see why opponents of such groups say they win converts by unfair, non-religious means. Indeed, the rapid growth of Protestantism is not much appreciated in Kyrgyzstan. Muslims react angrily to people of their faith becoming Christian. After all, according to Islam, Muslims who renounce their faith are commonly thought to deserve the death penalty.

The Central Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church in Kyrgyzstan also strongly opposed last year’s proposed law \"on the Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations\". It feared this law would make an influx of foreign missionaries to Kyrgyzstan possible. Still, most problems occur when Muslims covert to Christianity. There have been several of these in recent years. For example, in the village of Chon-Tash – some 15 kilometers from the capital Bishkek – nearly all members of a Protestant congregation left the Church because of pressure by local Muslims villagers. And members of the Church of Jesus Christ were beaten when they arrived in Chon-Tash to preach. A similar situation occurred in the village of Kuruk-Kul, inhabited mainly by ethnic Uzbeks, in the southern Jalal-Abad region. Here, locals demanded punishment for those inhabitants of the village who had accepted Christianity. Some Kyrgyz converts to Christianity face problems even after their death. In Naryn, a Baptist convert was refused the right to be buried in the local, Muslim, cemetery.

These Christian groups, new for Kyrgyzstan, are commonly suspected of spreading provocative propaganda and receiving money from the U.S.. Such suspicions probably only intensified after the war on terrorism kicked off in late 2001. Evangelical Protestants suffer problems not only in Kyrgyzstan but all over the former Soviet space. For example, Baptists in Turkmenistan were accused on July 31 of being “non-believers” and “law-breakers” by police from the department for the struggle with terrorism and organized crime. Baptists also regularly suffer harassment and beatings in Christian Georgia.