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U.S. Department of State releases report on international religious freedom

27 October 2009 09:28 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Viktoria Dementieva â€“ APA. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the U.S. Department of State released the report on international religious freedom 2009, APA reports. The report says:
â€œThe Azerbaijani Government actively promoted religious tolerance. The State Committee on Work with Religious Structures (SCWRS) convened leaders of various religious communities on several occasions. During the year, the SCWRS organized several seminars, conferences, and regional meetings on religious freedom and tolerance. The Fifth Islamic Conference of Cultural Ministers held in Tripoli in November 2007 proclaimed Baku the Islamic Cultural Capital for 2009. This bolstered renovation of a number of mosques throughout the city and Absheron Peninsula.â€

According to the report there were sporadic violations of religious freedom, which included the destruction or closure of three mosques.
â€œThe NGO Eurasianet.org asserted on May 27, 2009 that a number of mosques had been closed in several Baku neighborhoods during the past month; however, the mosque at Baku State University, Ilahiyyat, was open at the end of the reporting period. The Turkish Embassy reported that Shahidlyar Mosque, built with Turkish support, was closed for repairs. On May 11, 2009, authorities closed down a mosque located on an offshore drilling settlement, the Oily Rocks, for alleged safety reasons.
During the reporting period, there were multiple reports of authorities detaining alleged Islamic radicals, shaving their beards, seizing weapons, and banning Islamic literature. Restriction was seen in the form of property disputes, limitations on beards and hijabs, and an alleged ban on call to prayer in some areas.â€

The report regards Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijanâ€™s breakaway region.