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Department chief of Azerbaijanâ€™s Presidential Administration: Religious belief â€“ is one of the forms of manifestation of natural rights of man â€“ INTERVIEW

23 December 2010 15:56 (UTC +04:00)

- As you know, wearing hijab at school has recently become one of the most discussed topics in the society. All this, of course, arise some questions. Can you comment on this issue?

- Religion is one of the basic elements of human life and a major attribute of historical thinking. Taking these two nuances into account, it is not difficult to understand why this issue has attracted the attention of the people. In the modern history our people twice voted for the secular state â€“ at the beginning and the end of the 20th century. The relationship between religion and state in Azerbaijan has been established on strong basis and mutual understanding. It took centuries to reach this mutual understanding in the countries having rich statehood traditions. It took us 20 years to pass this way. The regulation of religion-state relationship requires experience, efforts and permanent dialogue. Azerbaijanâ€™s Constitution confirms its choice of secular model in all spheres. It is the guarantor of not only free education, but also formation of personality till the age of majority. The state guarantees a citizenâ€™s becoming a conscious individual and unless he has reached the age of majority â€“ by the way, this is also important in the religious context â€“ the responsibility for formation of a person as a citizen falls on the state. Approaching the issue from this aspect, one must understand the steps taken by the Ministry of Education.

Belief and religious values â€“ are the conscious choices of the citizen and none of the religions in the world supports compulsory choice. It has been generally admitted that the citizen has the right to choose after reaching the age of majority. It is applied not only to the political choice, but also to the life, including religious affiliation. Azerbaijani state does not interfere in the process of choice, considers its duty to prepare the citizen for the process of conscious choice by giving objective information about the moral values. In this respect, school must play the role of neutral ring creating equal conditions to realize conscious approach and various outlooks. Therefore, including various aspects of the religion into the secondary education violates the status of the school, which is the major and neutral guarantor of the process of formation of citizen and personality.

Religious belief â€“ is one of the forms of manifestation of the natural rights of man. Its realization within the framework of the law and non-violation of the majority is the major attribute of the social relations. The issue of belief in Azerbaijan concerns the personal choice of every citizen, the citizen chooses the collection of the moral, ethical values, system of values and attributes on his own will and in accordance with his life priorities.

- Representatives of some media and public organizations make every effort to popularize this topic and to form opinion as if Azerbaijan holds anti-Islam campaign.

- According to the Constitution, religion is separated from the state in Azerbaijan. It means that the religion is also separated from the policy. It is forbidden for religious figures to engage in politics in Azerbaijan and this is in line with the norms of secular model. Religion is a part of our life, but it shouldnâ€™t turn into the factor of political relations. At the same time, we should not conceal that this is carried out by the order from abroad.

Islam is a religion of majority of Azerbaijani population. We celebrate Muslim holidays, respect the traditions, protect the temples concerning our religion and ensure the maintenance and development of other religions such as Judaism and Christianity.

Azerbaijanâ€™s National Leader Heydar Aliyev repeatedly stated that â€œefficient use of the religious-moral values is very important for every country, nation and religionâ€. This position remains unchanged in our countryâ€™s life. President Ilham Aliyev attaches special importance to religion, moral values and their significance in Azerbaijani peoplesâ€™ life. Hundreds of mosques, many churches and synagogues have been opened and reconstructed in Azerbaijan on his initiative over the last couple of years. The President repeatedly stated that â€œthe formed relations between religion and state in the period of independence ensure the successful development of Azerbaijanâ€. This development is recognized in international level. Baku was declared capital of Islamic Culture in 2009 and in 2010 Baku hosted the Summit of World Religious Leaders. We can surely say that Azerbaijan is turning into the global centre of Inter-religious and intercultural dialogue.

All these confirm that our tolerance is a guarantee of efficient and comprehensive development, integrity and stability of Azerbaijan, which is located in a very complicated region.