On March 30 this year, in order to prepare for one of the sections of the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, dedicated to the contribution of women to the well-being and sustainable development of society and the role of religious communities in support of her social status, an international online round table was held on the topic: «Religion and Woman: Spiritual Values and Modern Challenges».
The event was attended by the Deputy of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the National Commission for Women and Family and Demographic Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan L. Ramazanova, the President of the Club of Chief Editors, Advisor to the Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan on issues of interaction with the media B. Zheksenbay, Director of the Royal Institute for Interreligious Studies of Jordan R. Khattar, Chairman of the Board of the Organization of Repatriates of Jews from Kazakhstan and Central Asia N. Divinskaya, Senior Researcher at the International Center for the Rapprochement of Cultures under the auspices of UNESCO, expert psychologist I. Krupko, Republican Information and Explanatory Group of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan L. Shakimova, Head of the sector of women-girls of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan D. Nurgaliyeva, Head of the Department of culture of the Orthodox Church of Kazakhstan L. Goricheva, Head of the Department of religious studies of the faculty of theology of the International Kazakh-Turkish University named after H.A.Yasavi K. Karatyshkanova, Head of the Department of Religious Studies and Cultural Studies of KazNU named after Al-Farabi A. Kurmanaliyeva, Chairman of the Board of the Center B. Sarsenbaev, as well as representatives of the religious and scientific expert community.
During the international round table, the participants discussed issues related to the role of women in religion and its importance in the spiritual education of the younger generation in the face of modern challenges.
Opening the event, the Chairman of the Board B. Sarsenbayev emphasized that the main value of the Kazakh society is the preservation of unity, tolerance and interfaith harmony. Within the framework of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, the significant role of consolidating the efforts of interested parties in the search for the main trends in the development of the role of women in religion was outlined.
In her welcoming speech, President of the Club of Chief Editors B. Zheksenbay paid special attention to the progressive strategy of the country's leadership in creating an effective model of peace and harmony between different faiths, as well as the importance of women in strengthening the institution of the family and raising children, thereby contributing to a sustainable and creative development of society.
In turn, Chairman of the Board of the organization of repatriates of Jews from Kazakhstan and Central Asia N. Divinskaya noted that gender equality is enshrined in law in many countries, but problems still remain. «…until society understands the need to address these issues, it is extremely difficult to change anything. In many countries there are various kinds of organizations dealing with equality issues. It cannot be said that their activities are useless. On the contrary, they do a lot. But the more such organizations, the clearer that it is very far from solving the problems of gender equality».
Head of the Department of Religious Studies of the Faculty of Theology of the International Kazakh-Turkish University named after HA. Yasawi K. Karatyshkanova emphasized that Yasawi's teachings are a clear example of the harmony of Islamic civilization and the Kazakh worldview, and are also complemented by new meanings and spiritual postulates of the gender policy of modern society.
At the same time, Director of the Department of Religious Studies of the Center R. Kamarova added that the phenomenon of female religiosity has not yet received sufficient research attention, but it needs to be studied. «... on the one hand, descriptions of women's activities testify to a huge variety of social roles. On the other hand, for women, women's experiences are not well recognized, or viewed as culturally insignificant, and their «secondaryness» to men is taken for granted, i.e., «natural». It is important to understand their actual situation and, possibly, to change it».
In continuation of the event, the speakers noted that in the progressive modern world, a woman plays an important role in the development of the social, political and economic spheres of different states of the world. Thus, Reni Khattar, Director of the Royal Jordanian Institute for Interreligious Studies, believes that women are active participants in interfaith work who contribute as peacekeepers who support non-violence and tolerance.
In addition, they emphasized that thanks to the unity of ethnic groups, representatives of different faiths and religions of the country, Kazakhstan managed to build a sovereign, free and strong state, promote the development of interreligious and intercultural dialogue in the world within the framework of a unique dialogue platform - the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
Summing up the speeches of foreign and Kazakhstani experts, B. Sarsenbayev expressed confidence that today's international online round table was another step in promoting a noble goal that would contribute to the practical solution of one of the tasks of the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions.
As a result of the event, the participants proposed recommendations on strengthening the ideas of gender equality in the world, developing new ideas for expanding the role of women in religion and building interreligious and intercultural dialogue, which will be taken into account in preparation for one of the sections of the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, dedicated to the contribution women in the well-being and sustainable development of society.
