TURKMENISTAN: LOCAL EVANGELICAL ORGANIZATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L ASHGABAT 000039

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/CEN; DRL/IRF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2020
TAGS: KIRF PHUM PGOV TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: LOCAL EVANGELICAL ORGANIZATION
PROVIDES MATERIAL SUPPORT TO CHURCHES

Classified By: Charge Sylvia Reed Curran, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) On January 6, poloff met with Murad Kerimi, the leader
of the Ashgabat-based unregistered Protestant religious group
"Word of Love" Church and the unregistered "Turkmen Golden
Age" ("TAA" for Turkmen Altyn Asyr) humanitarian
organization. Regarding TAA, Kerimi explained that its
efforts since 2001 have focused on providing assistance to a
village of former refugees from Tajikistan called Soltan-bash
located in Ahal Province. According to Kerimi, TAA
coordinated humanitarian assistance provided by ExxonMobil,
the German Embassy, and UK-based Christian charity "Tearfund"
to build a school and health clinic, install a water system
and bring electricity to the village consisting of 375
families. TAA has also assisted the village of Khivabad near
the border with Iran, repairing a road and installing a water
system and new electric power poles.


2. (C) In addition to these village development oriented
activities, TAA also provides assistance to evangelical
pastors in Turkmenistan, organizes conferences, holds summer
and winter camps for children and translates, produces and
distributes evangelical religious materials. Kerimi said TAA
has its own translator who is currently working on a book by
an American evangelist. The organization prints introductory
booklets about Christianity and children's books in Turkmen
language, records religious music on CDs for distribution,
and has plans to translate a religious animated film into
Turkmen. Kerimi said TAA provides short-term loans to
evangelical pastors, ranging from $300-500 at ten percent
interest per year, as well as grants to fund religious study
abroad. Kerimi was reluctant to discuss the funding source
for these activities, saying only that financial resources
were provided by another organization. He mentioned close
ties with an American from California who comes to
Turkmenistan twice a year to conduct what he called the
"Million Leaders" training course. (NOTE: An Internet search
turned up the "Million Leader Mandate" program -- a
U.S.-based evangelical outreach to train Christian leaders.
The American from California that the pastor referred to is
the head of the "Friends of the Turkmen" evangelical group
that has been visiting Turkmenistan for years. END NOTE.)


3. (C) The Word of Love Church that Kerimi leads is small,
consisting of ten women from Soltan-bash village where TAA
did humanitarian work, plus one other family. They meet in
an apartment in Ashgabat. He said the women were not able to
meet in the village itself because it is located close to
Iran and there is a strong Muslim influence, "a mullah on
every corner." They tried to hold services in houses in the
village with a few families, but the neighbors complained.
Still, Kerimi said he has good relations with the village's
Muslim spiritual leader.


4. (C) Kerimi briefly mentioned tentative plans of a half
dozen local evangelical pastors to form a "union of
churches," the purpose of which would be to act as an
intermediary with the government on behalf of individual
churches. When he realized that poloff was unfamiliar with
these plans, Kerimi said he'd perhaps revealed a secret. He
added that the pastors meet every few months to discuss the
idea.


5. (C) COMMENT: While Kerimi was clearly cautious about
disclosing full information on the activities and backing of
his organization, he shared enough to reveal considerable
cooperation among local evangelical Christian groups and some
outside financial support, probably from a U.S. source.
Local pastors discussing a union of churches is an indication
that they are trying to be pro-active in seeking ways to open
up channels of communication with the government. END
COMMENT.
CURRAN