On March 17, the Persecution and Prayer Alert reported on a surprise announcement by Turkmenistan's president, dropping many of the requirements placed on churches in order to gain official registration (click here). While claiming that registration was open to all religious communities, there was skepticism from some religious leaders, as they saw this as an attempt to gain further control of religious communities in the country.
Apparently this skepticism was warranted. According to a May 10 report from Forum 18, no religious community has yet gained registration under the new policies. The Protestant Greater Grace Church in Ashgabad recently applied for registration but, after three weeks, has still not received a response.
One of the difficulties is that officials require religious communities to abide by new registration requirements, but refuse to give them copies of the requirements. One requirement appears to be a twenty percent levy of all donations, to be turned over to the Gengeshi (Council) for Religious Affairs. Also, religious communities that register will still require permission to hold any service or meeting. In what is believed to be an attempt to keep foreigners out of the country, registered groups would also require permission to invite clerics or missionaries from abroad.
At present, the only two legal religious communities are Sunni Muslims and the Russian Orthodox Church. The chair of the Gengeshi is a Muslim mullah and the deputy chairs include the chief mufti and a Russian Orthodox priest, thus giving these two communities the ability to decide what other religious organizations can be registered. Those organizations who refuse to register face fines and harassment from the authorities.
Pray for the leaders of churches in Turkmenistan, as they seek God's wisdom in dealing with their government. Pray for new opportunities for Turkmen Christians to reach out with the love of Christ.
For more information on persecution in Turkmenistan, click here.
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