Ashura is also marked in Pakistan and Iran, but in Azerbaijan, Ashura ceremonies are held differently, the CMO chairman said. “On that day, we pray for both the martyrs of Karbala and those who died for the independence of Azerbaijan,” he said.
The CMO chairman went on to add that Ashura was also marked during the Soviet period.
“During the Soviet period, they were unable to gather in the mosques, but they gathered in the homes. On those days KGB (Committee for State Security) was on high alert,” he said.
He further said that religious tolerance prevails in Azerbaijan and state-religion relations are at a high level.