“Just six months ago at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the alarming rise in religious intolerance led to unanimous condemnation of the lack of respect for the beliefs of others. “Since then, the world has seen one of the biggest religious conflicts flare up between Hamas and Israel, with both sides declaring that they will destroy each other.”
Publika.az informs that these ideas are included in the article of “International policy digest” publication.
It is noted that in such a tense time, it is important to glorify the peoples who are examples of religious tolerance:
“Look at Azerbaijan, which is an example among Muslim-majority countries. As a secular state, its constitution affirms the equality of all religions, strictly prohibits the incitement of hatred against any faith, and prevents any obstacles to interreligious dialogue. Although Azerbaijan is predominantly Muslim, the country can boast of a government and education system that reflects the characteristics of its Muslim, Christian and Jewish citizens.
Strategically located on the historic Silk Road, where the East meets the West, Azerbaijan has been a beacon of hospitality for a long time. The religious landscape of Azerbaijan is not only a product of the modern era, it is an integral part of its history that even 70 years of aggressive Soviet atheism could not destroy.
Today, about 20,000 Jews live in Azerbaijan, and their educational institutions, cultural centers, and even Hebrew language courses at Baku University operate in this country. Seven synagogues have been opened in the country, and the last synagogue built in Baku in 2011 was the first synagogue funded by the state in a predominantly Muslim country. Also, Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox Christians live in peace and peaceful coexistence.
“Located between Russia and Iran, which have conflicts with the West, Azerbaijan remains a loyal ally and energy supplier of the West. The country, previously praised for its religious tolerance, has been praised by the people, including Pope Francis, and described as a beacon in a world torn by violent extremism. Azerbaijan cooperated with the European Union in the fight for peace and tolerance around the world, helped the West in the fight against terrorism, extremism and inciting feelings of hatred, supported NATO’s anti-terrorism initiatives as a member of the “Partnership for Peace” Alliance.
In its extensive report presented in Brussels, the European Democracy Foundation highly appreciated the positive impact of the multicultural model of Azerbaijan’s secular system, which promotes the peaceful coexistence of different communities and moderate, tolerant religious interpretations. The report called on the West to support Azerbaijan’s stability and participation in international dialogues, potentially strengthening its role as a mediator in sectarian disputes in the Middle East and beyond.
Nevertheless, Azerbaijan was unexpectedly punished against the backdrop of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which threatens regional stability. In a mysterious move, the US included Azerbaijan in its biased report on religious freedom. “The US Commission on International Religious Freedom expressed its concern about the preservation of Christian heritage in the Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan liberated from occupation,” the publication writes.
It is noted that Azerbaijan reacted with disappointment and did not accept the claims:
“We regret and reject this baseless and biased decision,” said the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev representative for special tasks Elchin Amirbeyov said in a statement.
As a former ambassador to the Holy See, E. Amirbeyov spoke about the visit of Pope Francis to Baku in 2016, where the pontiff praised the religious harmony in Azerbaijan.
“We are proud of our religious diversity, independent of any political situation. Muslims, Jews, Christians – we are all one family. This is part of our DNA,” Elchin Amirbayov said.
The decision to include Azerbaijan in the list of countries under control is confusing. International law has consistently recognized Karabakh and its adjacent territories as the territory of Azerbaijan. Despite UN resolutions demanding the withdrawal of Armenian troops, Azerbaijan has only recently returned most of its regions after decades of Armenian occupation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan and Western observers, including Emmanuel Dupuy from “L’Institut Prospective et Sécurité en Europe” have condemned the insulting and destruction of Azerbaijani cultural objects by the Armenian armed forces for many years.
“For decades, cultural artifacts in Karabakh have been systematically vandalized, appropriated and destroyed. Cemeteries were vandalized, shrines were desecrated, and other cultural artifacts were either looted or destroyed. This is especially true of the city of Aghdam, which the British writer George Mitchell called the “City of Souls”, “the Hiroshima of the Caucasus”. Agdam is probably the saddest and most obvious example. The once bustling city of Azerbaijan was razed to the ground by Armenia in 1993,” Dupui said.
However, Armenia was not included in the mentioned list, which, according to Elchin Amirbeyov, is a manifestation of double standards. He opposes Azerbaijan’s commitment to protect all cultural and religious objects after liberating its lands from occupation. In addition, Azerbaijan sees the potential bias of the US commission’s report, as one of its authors, Daniel Saroyan Ashbakhyan, has close ties to Armenian human rights groups.
The apparent bias of the United States in this matter is worrying. This puts Azerbaijan’s role as a potential mediator in regional conflicts as a country with a strong Muslim identity and relations with the West into the background. Azerbaijan’s recent peace initiatives in relation to Armenia further enhance this potential.
In a world that longs for tolerance and moderation, ignoring a strategic partner like Azerbaijan is an ineffective step. Instead, the West can use Azerbaijan’s rich experience of religious pluralism to ensure harmonious coexistence in the Middle East, as well as in other parts of the planet,” the article states.
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