In Kyrgyzstan, bloggers and other social media users who publicly disseminate religious content are now required to hold a special certificate. This requirement is already enshrined in the country's legislation and applies to authors of podcasts, videos, and comments on religious topics, according to infohub.kz.
The change stems from Kyrgyzstan's new Law on Freedom of Religion and Religious Organizations, which introduced the status of "religious preacher." This category now includes not only imams and clergy but also individuals who speak publicly about faith in the media and on the internet.
To obtain the certificate, a preacher must confirm their religious education and secure the consent of the relevant association. For Muslims, that body is the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan.
Officials cited the growth of religious content online as the reason for the changes.
"All bloggers and religious figures who intend to host podcasts, write posts and comments, talk about their activities in the religious sphere, or deliver sermons should know about this. Previously, their education was not verified, so false information could spread on social media," said Nurgazy Kyrgyzbayev, chief specialist at the agency.
At the same time, employees of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan are automatically considered religious preachers.
Kazakhstan does not yet have a separate certificate specifically for religious bloggers. The law requires registration for people engaged in missionary activity, that is, spreading religious teachings with the aim of converting others. This requires a missionary certificate.
For example, Kazakh theologian and popular social media imam Nurlan Baizhigituly recently said he had received such a certificate. Two other imams also received the documents at that time.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that Kazakhstan is discussing liability for Islamic bloggers who preach without permission from the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Kazakhstan.