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Islam is the largest religion practiced in Kazakhstan, as 70.2% of the country's population is Muslim according to a 2009 national census. Ethnic Kazakhs are predominantly Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school.〔(International Religious Freedom Report 2006 ) U.S. Embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan〕 There are also small number of Shia and few Ahmadi Muslims.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 title=KAZAKHSTAN: Ahmadi Muslim mosque closed, Protestants fined 100 times minimum monthly wage )〕 Geographically speaking, Kazakhstan is the northernmost Muslim-majority country in the world. Kazakhs make up over half of the total population, and other ethnic groups of Muslim background include Uzbeks, Uyghurs and Tatars.〔(Kazakhstan - International Religious Freedom Report 2009 ) U.S. Department of State. Retrieved on 2009-09-07.〕 Islam first arrived on the southern edges of the region in the 8th century from Arabs. ==History== Islam was brought to the Kazakhs during the 8th century when the Arabs arrived in Central Asia. Islam initially took hold in the southern portions of Turkestan and thereafter gradually spread northward.〔Atabaki, Touraj. ''Central Asia and the Caucasus: transnationalism and diaspora'', pg. 24〕 Islam also took root due to the zealous missionary work of Samanid rulers, notably in areas surrounding Taraz〔Ibn Athir, volume 8, pg. 396〕 where a significant number of Kazakhs accepted Islam. Additionally, in the late 14th century, the Golden Horde propagated Islam amongst the Kazakhs and other Central Asian tribes. During the 18th century, Russian influence rapidly increased toward the region. Led by Catherine, the Russians initially demonstrated a willingness in allowing Islam to flourish as Muslim clerics were invited into the region to preach to the Kazakhs whom the Russians viewed as "savages" and "ignorant" of morals and ethics.〔Khodarkovsky, Michael. ''Russia's Steppe Frontier: The Making of a Colonial Empire, 1500-1800'', pg. 39.〕〔Ember, Carol R. and Melvin Ember. ''Encyclopedia of Sex and Gender: Men and Women in the World's Cultures'', pg. 572〕 Russian policy gradually changed toward weakening Islam by introducing pre-Islamic elements of collective consciousness.〔Hunter, Shireen. "Islam in Russia: The Politics of Identity and Security", pg. 14〕 Such attempts included methods of eulogizing pre-Islamic historical figures and imposing a sense of inferiority by sending Kazakhs to highly elite Russian military institutions.〔 In response, Kazakh religious leaders attempted to bring religious fervor by espousing pan-Turkism, though many were persecuted as a result.〔Farah, Caesar E. ''Islam: Beliefs and Observances'', pg. 304〕 During the Soviet era, Muslim institutions survived only in areas where Kazakhs significantly outnumbered non-Muslims due to everyday Muslim practices.〔Farah, Caesar E. ''Islam: Beliefs and Observances'', pg. 340〕 In an attempt to conform Kazakhs into Communist ideologies, gender relations and other aspects of the Kazakh culture were key targets of social change.〔 In more recent times, Kazakhs have gradually employed determined effort in revitalizing Islamic religious institutions after the fall of the Soviet Union. While not strongly fundamentalist, Kazakhs continue to identify with their Islamic faith,〔Page, Kogan. ''Asia and Pacific Review 2003/04'', pg. 99〕 and even more devotedly in the countryside. Those who claim descent from the original Muslim warriors and missionaries of the 8th century, command substantial respect in their communities.〔Atabaki, Touraj. ''Central Asia and the Caucasus: transnationalism and diaspora''.〕 Kazakh political figures have also stressed the need to sponsor Islamic awareness. For example, the Kazakh Foreign Affairs Minister, Marat Tazhin, recently emphasized that Kazakhstan attaches importance to the use of "positive potential Islam, learning of its history, culture and heritage."〔(inform.kz | 154837 )〕 Soviet authorities attempted to encourage a controlled form of Islam under the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Central Asia and Kazakhstan as a unifying force in the Central Asian societies, while at the same time prohibiting true religious freedom. Since independence, religious activity has increased significantly. Construction of mosques and religious schools accelerated in the 1990s, with financial help from Turkey, Egypt, and, primarily, Saudi Arabia.〔(From the article "Kazakhstan, Islam in" in Oxford Islamic Studies Online )〕 In 1991 170 mosques were operating, more than half of them newly built. At that time an estimated 230 Muslim communities were active in Kazakhstan. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Islam in Kazakhstan」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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