- Title: KYRGYZSTAN: Kyrgyz children learn faith at summer camp
- Date: 25th June 2013
- Summary: UZGEN, OSH PROVINCE, KYRGYZSTAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ROAD AND CITY MARKER FOR UZGEN VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT MARKET VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING VOLLEYBALL VARIOUS OF CHILDREN PLAYING PING PONG CHILDREN WATCHING EXTERIOR OF MOSQUE VARIOUS OF MAN LEADING CHILDREN IN PRAYERS SIGN ON WALL (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) ISLAMIC COURSES TEACHER ABDULLAH AITIEV, SAYING: "These are
- Embargoed: 10th July 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Kyrgyzstan
- Country: Kyrgyzstan
- Topics: Religion
- Reuters ID: LVA1IBJ4H25VCHRNWJWH76C8WWZC
- Story Text: Kids in southern Kyrgyzstan are spending part of their summer at a camp that not only develops their sporting skills but also expands their understanding of Islam.
Like children all over the world, some kids in the southern Kyrgyz city of Uzgen near Osh are spending their summer at camp.
But volleyball and ping pong are not the only exercises that consume the children's attention.
They are attending a special summer camp that combines recreation with learning the basics of Islam.
School kids in grades 4-11 (aged 9-17) spend mornings following prayers at a mosque, reading the Koran in small groups and learning about Islam in a classroom setting. In the afternoons, they exert themselves with sports and physical games.
For teacher Abdullah Aitiev, the camp represents a way to impart to the children a valuable understanding of their religion.
"These are the kids are taking the first steps toward Islam. Islam is a religion, it's a belief of the golden middle (ground). Everything is written according to according to Sharia and Koran," Aitiev said.
For students, the camp opens up new ways of thinking and behaving.
"I really like it here. They are teaching us here to value our parents and respect adults. We are learning the Koran. They explain to us that Allah is one. We learn to behave properly," said one boy, Bilol Samiddin Uluu.
"We didn't know the values of Islam, here we understood them. We need to think not only of today, but also of the afterlife. Now I am going to live under Sharia," said another camper, Umarzhan Turatov.
The camps, which last 20 days, are taking place in the Osh, Jalalabad and Batken regions in the mainly Muslim country of 5.5 million.
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