Imam from Kazakhstan attends National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C.
Kazakh imam Nurlan Baizhigitov was invited to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., the U.S., Kazinform News Agency reports.
1,600 guests from 127 countries gathered for the annual event.
Organized by the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation, the event brought together prominent political and social figures, with President Biden delivering his remarks.
“Tik-Tok Imam”
Born on January 1, 1979 in Merke district of Zhambyl region, Nurlan Baizhigitov, served as imam in Zhambyl, Karaganda, Kostanay regions. He was the imam of the East Kazakhstan Regional Mosque in Ust Kamenogorsk, Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of Kazakhstan in Aktobe region, and chief imam of Nur Gassyr Mosque in Aktobe. In May 2023, he was appointed the chief imam of Yryskeldi Kazhy Mosque of Astana.
Nurlan Baizhigitov gained popularity on Tik Tok, especially, among the youth of Kazakhstan and neighboring countries. Currently he has 850,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 581,000 followers on Tik Tok. His videos have already gathered more than 5 million likes. For this he is often called a “Tik-Tok Imam.”
When asked about why he chose Tik Tok, he says his goal was to reach out to young minds by explaining the canons of Islam in modern and simple language, clear both for young people and the older generation. He often goes live on Instagram and on Tik Tok, and answers pressing questions from his followers related to generation gaps, human relations, universal human and national values. He won the audience with his modesty, erudition, humor and openness.
National Prayer Breakfast
The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event held in Washington, D.C., on the first Thursday of February. The event is actually a series of meetings, luncheons and dinners, founded by Abraham Vereide in 1953.
The event is usually attended by more than 3,000 people, including foreign guests from more than 100 countries. Until 2023, it was hosted by the U.S. Congress. Beginning from 2023, the event is run by the National Prayer Breakfast Foundation.
