Yale School of Management alumnus appointed Executive Secretary of the Kazakhstan’s Agency for Religion

August 26 Malik Murzalin was appointed Executive Secretary of the Kazakhstan’s Agency for Religion, Tengrinews.kz reports, citing the official website of President Nazarbayev. Earlier Mr. Murzalin served as Head of Staff at the Department for Presidential Affairs, vice governor of North Kazakhstan oblast, Nur Otan HQ Vice Head. He graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Yale School of Management. He is fluent in English and Urdu. The Agency was launched May 21, 2011. According to the decree, the Agency shall maintain inter-faith accord, enforcing freedom of belief and is in charge of strengthening dialogue with religious institutions. The same decree abrogated the Committee for Religions under the Ministry of Culture. Lama Sharif Kairat Kayirbekuly was appointed Chairman of the Kazakhstan’s Agency for Religion June 7. Before that he served as Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Kazakhstan is widely recognized for its efforts to ensure inter-ethnic and interfaith peace and accord. Representatives of 130 nationalities and more than 100 other ethnic groups live peacefully in Kazakhstan. The Congress of the Leaders of World & Traditional Religions has been Kazakhstan’s contribution to the global process of inter-cultural dialogue.