– The president of Azerbaijan is periodically making military statements. In parallel with that, islamic movements are activating as well. Do such military statements and activation of the role of Islam in heir society have a serious role?
– I think no. Or maybe not yet. Generally islam has a potential of uniting societies. In 2006 their sheikh announced that he could declare a jihad for the purpose of returning the lands, but the reaction of the society was not adequate.
– Since the collapse of the USSR some processes started in the post-Soviet area to reassess the religions; it happened in Azerbaijan as well.
– Azerbaijan is a shihad country and about 70% of the society are shias, and 30% are national minorities, mostly sunnis. Since independence the islamic renaissance in Azerbaijan was mostly activated in the context of ethnicity, and islam was reassessed as an important but not the first factor of the Azeri identity. Most of the Azeri people consider themselves muslims, even though most of them don’t know the necessary knowledge of islam.
– In relation to religious issues there are some harsh approaches on part of the Azeri authorities. There have been cases of intimidation on people who have long but not groomed beard.
– In the recent period the Azeri parliament made amendments to some laws to put limitations on separate processes concerning islam. Through these amendments the authorities are trying to put limitations on the attempts to lobby and advocate for non-traditional religious directions and the activities of religious oppositionists, most of which have been educated and trained, and in most cases by the support of the state, in many religious institutions and schools of the world. Recently some mosques were ruined and closed in Baku.
– What are the reasons of such strict policy? What is the danger from islam?
– The state first of all wants to prevent the development of islamic radicalism and weaken the importance of islam in the civic and political life of their country to prevent the possible threats to different institutions and their national society. Since independence their authorities have periodically applied pressure on the religious institutions, non-traditional and other related islamic directions and activists enrooted in Azerbaijan. The realities connected with islam are a problem for their authorities to face not only domestic but external challenges too. Being a neighbor of Iran, Turkey and Russia’s Dagestan (where the radical directions of islam are enrooted), as well as being close to the Arabic world, Azerbaijan became a target for external influence of islam. Since 1990 new preachers from Iran, Turkey and Arabic countries penetrated into Azerbaijan and founded new branches of radical movements, which have been mostly prevented by the authorities in different times. It is also worth mentioning that the authorities of Azerbaijan are using the mobilization power of islam in both domestic and foreign policy.
– What is the role of islam in the society of Azerbaijan?
– It is a very important factor in their society and many people find the answers to their questions in islam. In the recent period the number of people who are more loyal to their religion has increased. Generally in Azerbaijan islam is trying to fill the gap resulted from one pole political system and as a result of forcing out the pro-Russian and pro-Western opposition powers.
– Do you mean the tendency of the growth of islam is to fill the gap and vacuum in their state system?
– The growth of the role of islam is mostly connected with the lack of free speech, social problems, some degradation of the traditional values, disappointment to western values, and very often the limitations on religious freedoms are having the vice effect. People trust neither their government nor the religious authorities. Of course there are some tendencies, people are visiting some mosques where they are trying to explain social, moral and other problems and find solutions. As a result, certain radical moods have been generated both in the shia and sunni circles resulting in separate religious communities.
– One of the radical directions of islam, the vahab stream, is very famous in Azerbaijan now. This religious direction is in most cases associated with violence.
– The Vahabism, or more correctly said the sunni islamic salafian direction, which calls on to return to the roots of ancient islamism, is a new thing in the Azeri ideology and penetrated into their society in early 90s. The important thing is that a lot of young people are supporting this movement and these young people know what islam is pretty well. They don’t consider themselves as vahabis but followers of the “true islam”. The centre of vahabism is the mosque sponsored by a fund from Kuwait and built in the center of Baku in 1997. In difference with other Azeri mosques that can fit about 300 people, this one can fit 5000-7000 people. It raised the significance of Friday rituals, which was not so common in Azerbaijan before that. In a very short period the sunni direction became very famous, which was possible to achieve mostly due to the charisma of young Imam Hamet Suleymanov of the mosque. The members of Abu Bakr community are famous with the perception of common identity, which can be seen in their external appearance too. Due to possible dangers from vahabism the authorities closed down the mosque last year, but it doesn’t stop their people gather in houses or the imam’s home. This movement is based mostly on social and religious stimulus in Azerbaijan now.
– When they speak of the islamic conference and politics they say that the goal of this organization is exclusively the islamic tolerance. We wander what is the reaction of the islamic world to such limitations on their religion in Azerbaijan.
– Even the Azeris are concerned that their reputation might be harmed in the islamic world. But I don’t think so. Now there are a number of countries which are struggling against religious radicalism, and Azerbaijan is one of such countries. Religious issues are inner problems and no country or organization will interfere in the internal affairs of another country if they don’t want to use this opportunity as a tool of leverage in that country or to destabilize the situation there.
– How fast is the society of Azerbaijan reacting to the international islamic processes?
– Since 2006 the factor of islam has started to play certain role in Azerbaijan. A part of their society started to react very extremely to the realities connected with islam and the relations between the West and the East. An anti-Western direction was created in Azerbaijan, and this was mainly an anti-Israeli stream. In 2006 people in Azerbaijan organized a demonstration against the caricature pictures of Muhamed preacher. In 2006 winter, in Nardaran district in the vicinity of Baku, which is famous with its shias directions, for the first time they burnt the flags of the US, Israel, Denmark, as well as Armenia and Switzerland. On February 11 the “yeni khabar” newspaper, which is not famous and circulated much, published caricature on Christian religious themes, and in April 2006 the Israeli organizations received threatening letters from the local islamists. In summer 2006 demonstrations were organized against the Hezbollah of Lebanon, and in December 2008 they rallied against the Israeli military actions in Gaza. In a word, on the one hand the influence of islam in the consciousness of their society is growing, and on the other hand the influence of international islamic processes on the processes in the Azeri society is growing as well.
– Do the anti-Western movements have anti-Christian components as well?
– Of course yes. The anti-Armenian movements have anti-Christian components too. Many people in Azerbaijan believe that the Christian countries are supporting Armenia in relation to the issue of Karabakh conflict, which is a reason for them to spread anti-Christian and anti-globalization moods and movements.