An educational seminar was held at the Almaty City Court on the topic: "Prevention of Religious Extremism and Terrorism." Its objectives were to improve the legal literacy of civil servants and strengthen measures to prevent the spread of destructive ideologies.

The event was attended by Abai Zharylkasyn, Deputy Head of the Judicial Administration Department for Almaty City and Ethics Officer, and heads of the Administrators of Almaty's district courts.

Introducing the speaker, N. Meimankhozha, a research fellow at the Center for Religious Studies of the Institute of Philosophy, Political Science and Religious Studies of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and a Master of Religious Studies, A. Zharylkasyn emphasized the relevance of the topic under discussion.

It was noted that religious extremism and terrorism pose a serious threat to public stability, interfaith harmony, and national security. In current conditions, preventive work aimed at fostering legal culture, critical thinking, and citizens' resilience to destructive ideologies is of particular importance. This is precisely why the round table organized at the Almaty City Court was a symbolic and significant event, demonstrating a shift towards preventive measures based on legal education and dialogue.

The efforts and responsibility of civil servants are crucial in addressing this task. Indeed, today, as the world faces new challenges of global instability, the issues of preventing religious extremism and terrorism take on truly special significance. This topic has ceased to be a purely theoretical discipline, becoming a pressing need for all of civil society.

The relevance of prevention is part of the struggle for the national security of the state. The ongoing changes in the profile of the threat itself indicate that destructive ideology can penetrate a person's consciousness with a single click on social media. Therefore, religious extremism as a reality is no longer exclusively an external factor. It disguises itself as traditional values, recruits youth through social networks, and exploits the legal illiteracy of citizens. And major cities, such as the metropolis of Almaty, where flows of information, cultures, and migration intersect, are in a zone of elevated risk.

Under these conditions, the judicial system takes on the tasks not only of explaining the law but also of building immunity to these phenomena.

Prevention here lies primarily in eliminating legal illiteracy: every citizen should know that calls for violence or humiliation of others based on religion will inevitably lead to liability. In this regard, daily work is needed to cultivate critical thinking, legal culture, and tolerance to help society develop a rejection of extremism in the spiritual sphere.

"Each of us is obliged to strictly comply with legal requirements, adhere to the principles of legality, objectivity, and professional ethics, as well as prevent the spread of radical ideas and show vigilance in identifying signs of destructive influence," noted A. Zharylkasyn.

Master of Religious Studies N. Meimankhozha explained in detail the advantages of the secular model of state structure, which is based on the principles of human rights rather than religious beliefs.

The expert paid special attention to the key signs of religious-extremist movements, which are characterized by a commitment to extreme views that radically negate the norms existing in society.

"To avoid becoming an object of manipulation, it is important to follow information security rules: do not post personal information online, do not respond to suspicious messages, and seek spiritual knowledge exclusively from official clergy," emphasized N. Meimankhozha.

In explanatory work, one must proceed from the fact that Kazakhstan has declared itself a secular state, where laws are based on the principles of human rights and civil society, not on religious beliefs and doctrines. These principles bring to life universal human values – freedom and equality. Therefore, the outcome of a court decision does not depend on religious views, ensuring equality for all citizens regardless of their faith.

The neutrality of the state allows everyone to find their place in a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional society, regardless of religion. Our country welcomes diversity in languages, religions, and cultural traditions, which creates a more open and inclusive environment for all its members.

Against this backdrop, it is necessary to distinguish the key signs of religious-extremist movements, remembering that extremism in its most general form is characterized as a commitment to extreme views and actions that radically negate existing norms and rules in society, and has a specific goal – the pursuit of power. It manifests itself in a negative attitude towards official authorities, demonstrating a negative attitude towards local traditions, customs, state and national holidays, disrespect for state symbols, denial of cultural and civic identity, and has a strong antisocial orientation, including prohibitions on a person's participation in the life of the state and society.

Speaking about the danger of radicalism, the Master of Religious Studies emphasized that it is particularly evident in the manifestations of terrorism, which today has a global character and is accompanied by violent actions, an increase in youth involvement through the active use of modern technologies, and an increased level of financing and logistical support.

The seminar participants were informed about the existing types of terrorism: ethno-nationalist, which pursues separatist or national-liberation goals; political terror – a term used to denote state violence against civilians; and religious terrorism, which may be associated with the struggle between adherents of different religions or within the same faith, or aims to undermine secular authority and establish religious authority.

Various methods of recruiting radicals have become widespread in the world, including on social networks, where specialized sites are created, as well as through the distribution of religious materials, invitations to participate in gatherings of believers where foundations and morals, traditional values are questioned, an irrational perception of the world is formed, instilling the idea that a person's life does not belong to them and their fate is not in their hands.

The seminar discussed in detail the legal norms contained in the Law "On Religious Activities and Religious Associations," Article 490 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Article 174 "Incitement of Social, National, Tribal, Racial, Estate or Religious Hatred," Article 256 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Propaganda of Terrorism or Public Calls for the Commission of an Act of Terrorism," and the Law "On the Prevention of Offenses," which introduced a ban on wearing clothing in public places that makes it difficult to identify a person in order to increase the effectiveness of identification and strengthen public order measures. These public safety measures have, by the way, been adopted in many countries (Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, France, Belgium, Austria).

Concluding the meeting, A. Zharylkasyn expressed confidence that the seminar would serve as a useful practical guide for every civil servant.

Holding the event within the walls of the Almaty City Court demonstrates that justice is open to dialogue with society. The round table with the participation of religious scholars helps its participants distinguish sincere faith from politicized radicalism, be able to resist these movements, and know basic methods of protection.

By Akmaral ABDULLOVA