Forget Borat. The Real Kazakhstan Is Muslim

It might feel a little more convincingly like a Palace of Peace and Reconciliation, commissioned perhaps as a celebration of religious plurality, were it not for the seven tonnes of Russian-made BRDM-2 armoured personnel carrier stationed outside. By contrast, within a preposterous Norman Foster glass pyramid â?? decorated with the kitschest white doves you have ever seen â?? the Fifth Congress of the Leaders of World and Traditional Religions meets, and the talk is of harmony and concord â?? even a condemnation of global arms spending by the Zoroastrian representative. Observing this, a Martian could be forgiven for assuming that religion is the number one force for good in the world. Here the Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel sits next to the head of the World Forum for Proximity of Islamic Schools of Thought next to the president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue next to some other terribly important religious dignitary. If I gave them their full titles that would be half the word count of this article. Just as effusive greetings take up half the speeches of the delegates.