Azerbaijan, situated at the crossroad of East and West is a multicultural society. There are over 40 minorities and ethnic groups that live in Azerbaijan including the Tallishes, Avars, Sakhurs, Jews, Ukrainians and many more. For centuries, Azerbaijanis have lived in peace and harmony with people from many different religious backgrounds and ethnic groups and Azerbaijan has been listed one of the top five most tolerant countries in the world. This fact has led many to believe that Azerbaijan can serve as good example of ethnic and religious tolerance for the world full of intolerance.
A report by the European Parliament in 2013 revealed that Azerbaijan has achieved a very high level of religious tolerance, to the extent that is outshines more developed and richer countries in the East and even in the West. Some go as far to say that Azerbaijan is among five of the most religiously tolerant countries in the world today. The chairman of Human Rights Without Frontiers International which prepared a report for the European Parliament called “Religious Minorities in Azerbaijan: From History to Independence” has said that from his organisations research, it has been agreed by Eastern Orthodox, Jewish, Protestant and Udi communities in Azerbaijan that the Azerbaijani government, as well as people, have shown the highest level of friendliness, support, and tolerance towards their religious group. They added that their communities have always felt welcome and safe in Azerbaijan.
The constitution of Azerbaijan also expressly guarantees religious freedom and although 96% of Azerbaijan’s population is Muslim; Azerbaijan is a secular republic where the state is completely separated from any religion. Under the constitution, people have the right to choose and change their religious affiliation and beliefs (including atheism), to join or to establish the religious group of their choice, and to practice religion. The law on religious freedom expressly prohibits the government from interfering in the religious activities of any individual or group. The law also provides that no one shall be forced to express or demonstrate his or her religious faith or belief. The Constitution further outlaws any type of political, racial, ethnic, national, cultural, religious or sexual persecution.
Today, Azerbaijan’s religious groups are very diverse and it is home to many ethnic groups. For example, Azerbaijan has maintained friendly relations with the Vatican which President Ilham Aliyev is committed to continuing. The Vatican’s Foreign Minister Giovanni Lajolo has expressed his satisfaction with the “level of friendly communications between Azerbaijan and the Vatican.” He has said that the country is “a place where many religions and cultures merge.” In a statement by President Aliyev he expresses that one of the greatest achievement of independent Azerbaijan is the fact that people from all ethnicities and religions live there and are like one big family who enjoy the same rights. He discusses how important it is to build a working relationship between the state and religion for a young country and that Azerbaijan has built this relationship from nothing and is now a multi-ethnic and multi-religious state. This is their greatest asset. As President Aliyev has said “I am fully convinced that respect for other religions begins with respect for one’s own. We need to properly assess, protect and at the same time promote this unique atmosphere in the world, and communicate full information about Azerbaijan to the world community.”
It seems that Azerbaijan is a country where ethnic minorities can enjoy the tolerance that have been fostered here for ages. Although the population of Azerbaijan is just nine million people, it has an inspiring diversity of religions that coexisting in peace with the Muslim Azerbaijani majority, awarding it praise by the European Parliament. The country definitely sets a progressive and positive example of multi-culturalism to the world.
