THE ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS SITUATION IN KYRGYZSTAN

Abstract

Kyrgyzstan is a multiethnic and multi-confessional republic in which, according to the 1990 population census, more than 90 different ethnic groups live. The largest is represent-ed by the Kyrgyz, who comprise 64.9% of the re-public’s residents, followed by Uzbeks, 13.8%, and Russians, 12.5%. But significant changes have occurred in the ethnic structure of the population since this census was carried out. For ex-ample, the size of the Muslim ethnic groups has dramatically grown: the Kyrgyz by 40%, the Turks by 57%, the Dungans by 40%, the Uighurs by 27%, the Tajiks by 27%, and the Uzbeks by 21%, while the number of Christians has de-creased. In particular, the percentage of Russians has decreased by 9%, Germans by 2%, and Ukrainians by 1.5%. All of this has created enormous shifts in the structure of believers. According to the data of the Commission for Religious Affairs under the Kyrgyzstan Government, the country’s population is currently broken down in terms of confession as follows: 80-84% of the residents are Muslims, 14-15% are Christians, and approximately 3% belong to other confessions.1 The liberalization of sociopolitical life, building of a democratic society, and observation of human rights have promoted an increase in ethnic self-awareness among all the republic’s res-idents. It is expressed in the formation of nation-al and cultural centers, the activity of which is aimed at reviving the native language, history, and culture of the republic’s ethnic groups. In turn, this ethnic renaissance has tilled the ground for religious revival and the reanimation of corresponding traditions, primarily Muslim.