The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) published a report a few months ago on Azerbaijan which was flabbergasting, to say the least. The US Department of State then went on to blacklist Azerbaijan as a country that engages in violation of religious freedom. One can’t help but think of Kozma Prutkov’s famous saying: ‘If you see a ‘buffalo’ sign on an elephant’s cage, do not trust your eyes’. Anyone who has been to Azerbaijan even once and is aware of the situation in the country finds these decisions nothing short of a misunderstanding.

The report claims that Azerbaijani government violates the law on religious freedom, does not register religious communities, and restricts religious literature, propaganda, or missionary activity. Most provisions relate to politics rather than religion. For example, the imprisonment of the Muslim Union Movement leaders, a foreign-funded extremist organization, is not even worth mentioning. Radical religious institutions are considered a threat all over the world, with adequate measures taken against them. But we can and must talk of the remaining issues raised in the report.

History and Geography

Azerbaijan historically has seen no religious discrimination, which is mainly due to geography. Rizvan Huseynov , Historian and Head of Centre for Caucasian History says , geography determines the consciousness of the local population . Our landscape mainly comprises lowlands and intermontane terrains. The region has been at the crossroads of all routes for millennia. Communities living in such geographies must absolutely be tolerant, because their lives and income depend on it. This is also why mountainous communities are much stricter about issues of ethnicity, confession, and such. People living on the coast and islands are different. Those living in the steppes, plains, and at the crossroads realize that their safety, income and well-being depend on establishing warm relationships with everyone. Religion also takes shape following the demands of geography.

History confirms geography: Azerbaijan has never in its history seen confessional wars like in Europe. The church has been the foundational factor in shaping the national consciousness in Europe. Every community used to have its own church. These churches produced national projects as society shifted to capitalism. These forces did not even hesitate to commit massacres to snatch the monopoly from the Vatican. We do not have a tradition of religious conflicts as we’ve not had such cases in our history. Europe, the USA, and the Tsarist Russia artificially planted religious problems in the Ottoman Empire and our lands. They employed the religious factor to incite the Armenians, Eastern Christian communities, and the Christians in the Balkans against the Muslims-Turks. Unfortunately, the same policy continues, albeit having slightly shapeshifted.

The attitude towards other confessions remains unchanged to this day. Our religious tolerance can set an example for many countries around the world even in modern times. Representatives of religious minorities in the country confirm this and the conditions created for them speak for themselves.

‘Azerbaijan is our home’

‘I have headed the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan for over 14 years. Azerbaijan is a modern secular state that respects and encourages national traditions, spiritual and cultural diversity in society’, says Bishop Vladimir Fekete, the Apostle Prefect of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan in his interview to AzVision.az.

The bishop adds that Azerbaijan deserves special attention as a rare example of good interaction among religious communities and a harmony between religion and secular government.

Robert Mobili, Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian community, invited the representatives of the US Department of State to Azerbaijan to see the situation for themselves. He has also held numerous meetings at the State Department as a part of the official delegation to discuss the matter.

‘Our community performs our rituals in Albanian. How can one ever talk of curtailing religious freedoms in Azerbaijan under such conditions?’, Robert Mobili questions.

Archimandrite Alexy Nikonorov, secretary of the Baku diocese, rector at the Cathedral of the Holy Myrrh Bearers says that Azerbaijani society offers a unique tolerant atmosphere, where the state pays special attention to cultural diversity while guaranteeing rights and freedoms to all citizens regardless of their religious or national affiliation.

‘Azerbaijan boasts unique centuries-old experience of peaceful coexistence, interaction, and creative collaboration among Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Azerbaijan has traditionally been famous as a home for many peoples. The country does not have the problems that hinder development or interreligious dialogue among citizens in so many parts of the world’, the archimandrite explains.

The situation with the Jews is particularly interesting. The thesis of ‘guilty Jews’ made up the core of Christian ideology historically. Persecuted, oppressed, and expelled from Europe, they took refuge with the Ottomans and the Safavids. They have since felt at ease and comfortable on these lands.

Milikh Yevdayev, Head of the Mountain Jews Community in Baku mentions that all religious communities in Azerbaijan receive financial support from the state, which not only guarantees freedom of religious beliefs but also plays an important role in protecting cultural and religious diversity.