Javid Shahverdiyev
The US State Department has designated some countries on the so called “Watch List” on December 29, 2023 where what Secretary of State alleges that religious persecution is going on. It has been claimed that the countries in the list are where there is a disregard for freedom of religion, and oppression against religious people is continued. The state department has put Azerbaijan in the list along with Algeria, the Central African Republic, Comoros, and Vietnam. This is a totally unilateral, biased and controversial step taken by USA. Azerbaijan is a country of religious freedom and harmony. Different communities following different faiths are living here with complete independence of their beliefs.
Again, the United States revealed its bias. But for 30 years in Karabakh, all our mosques, Albanian churches, Christian temples were destroyed, pigs and cows were kept inside them, and America has not reacted to this religious intolerance of Armenia. The US’s silence on this once again shows the presence of double standards in the Administration.
Azerbaijan has a leading position in the South Caucasus. This leadership also has excellent multicultural examples. The United States cannot digest this either. US is trying to blackmail Baku by any means but its cunning intention will never be fulfilled.
The State Committee on Religious Associations of the Republic of Azerbaijan has rejected the US designation of Azerbaijan. The Committee has issued statement that rightly highlights the original position and status ;
“The U.S. State Department’s inclusion of Azerbaijan in a group of countries without international status (special watch list), based on assumptions of religious freedom violations in Azerbaijan, is nothing but a tool for political manipulation.”
Azerbaijan’s statement reads further as , “It is emphasized that annually since 2013, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom has recommended to the State Department to add Azerbaijan to the “special watch list,” spreading biased and false information against Azerbaijan. The State Committee has repeatedly made statements and protested against these inaccurate reports of the commission:
“The shortcomings presented by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom do not reflect the realities of our country and are completely contrary to the truth. Many aspects in the Commission’s reports are un-investigated, referencing pro-Armenian sources, and sometimes intentionally misinterpreting events. This seriously undermines the objectivity of the reports, which do not correspond to the goals and objectives pursued in their preparation. Seizing this opportunity, we advise the State Department not to play into the hands of pro-Armenian forces spreading slander against Azerbaijan, to refrain from double standards, and to take steps in accordance with international law norms, based on the new realities emerging in the region.”
“It should be noted that all religious denominations are equal before the law and have the same status within the framework of the state-religion relations model of modern Azerbaijan. In addition to ensuring the rights of Muslims, who make up the majority of the country’s citizens, the state also takes care of other religions spread in the republic.”
The policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the field of religion is based on the freedom of thought, speech and conscience, taking into account the presence of religion in various forms in the society. At the same time, the state’s policy in the field of religion is based on the principles and norms of international law, international agreements to which the Republic of Azerbaijan has joined, the country’s Constitution and other normative legal acts.
In Azerbaijan, sufficient measures are being taken in the direction of bringing together different parties in the field of tolerance, multiculturalism, religions and intercultural dialogue. In the last ten years, Azerbaijan has hosted dozens of international and regional conferences, forums and symposiums in this field. We can proudly say that today in the international world, two phrases are often used in connection with the city of Baku: the Baku process on intercultural dialogue and the Baku process on promoting tolerance.
In addition, Azerbaijan closely cooperates with influential organizations, including the UN, UNESCO, ISESCO, OSCE and other institutions, in order to spread and promote its experience in the field of tolerance and multiculturalism, as well as to promote these values in the international world.
People speaking different languages and representing different religions live as a family in the peace, tranquility and mutual respect in Azerbaijan at all times, regardless of social and political structure. It is the same today. In our modern world, multi-cultural and multi-ethnic Azerbaijan is loyal to these traditions, and this is one of its greatest assets.
About the Author: Javid Shahverdiyev is Chairman of the Center for the Development of Democratic Reforms of Azerbaijan, member of the Public Council under the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, journalist (Azerbaijan)
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