One of my relatives, a devout Muslim who observes fasting, lives in a regional center of Kazakhstan. He told me that every year, with the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, a certain tradition is upheld in their region.
On the first day of fasting, the regional akimat organizes an iftar (evening meal to break the fast) at the central mosque and invites the most respected Muslims to attend. The next evening, the baton is passed to the regional police department, then to the prosecutor’s office, and so on—virtually all government agencies in the region take turns.
These dinners are typically lavish, with an abundance of food. Each government body tries not to fall behind the others. This raises a question: who pays for the feast?
From the budgets of state institutions? That can’t be. It would contradict the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Budget Code, and several other laws. There is simply no budget line such as “hosting iftar dinners for Muslims during Ramadan” in any government institution.
Perhaps the employees of these state bodies pay out of their own salaries?
That also seems unlikely—civil servants don’t earn high wages, and not all of them are Muslim or willing to spend money on religious events. That leaves only speculation. For example, is it possible that the akimat, prosecutor’s office, police department, and other influential state institutions “ask” local businessmen to sponsor such events?
If so, there’s nothing good about that either. It’s clear that in return for such a “request,” these government bodies will feel obliged to “reward” the sponsors—with privileges, by turning a blind eye to legal violations, or by awarding government contracts—against the law and to the detriment of other entrepreneurs.
If it’s not the businessmen’s “charity,” then where does the money come from? The question remains open.
Residents of Kazakhstan’s regions who have encountered this and know how these events are actually funded—please share your insights in the comments. If there is no legal method of financing such dinners, then higher authorities need to pay attention to the practice of hosting iftar on behalf of local government agencies and put an end to this harmful tradition.
Kazakhstan is a secular state, and it should not be using public funds to host events for any one religion. Religious communities should sustain themselves through donations and contributions from their members—not through the state budget and certainly not through pressure placed on local entrepreneurs by officials.
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