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Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports: â€œI canâ€™t call those killed in Syria martyrsâ€

29 January 2014 13:48 (UTC +04:00)

He said that the young people who go to Syria and are killed there are ruining their lives: "The 'martyr' status can’t be granted to them. This status is granted if one dies for homeland or religion. They aren’t killed for the homeland, because Syria has nothing to do with us. It is inappropriate in terms of the religion, as both sides are Muslim. They are fighting either for money or other purposes. It causes concern.”

Babayev said that Azerbaijan had always been a very tolerant country in terms of religion: “Azerbaijan provides conditions for believers. People are normally carrying out their religious rituals and are active members of the society. The sects are breaking the traditions. They serve radicalization of young people. I think that the relevant agencies should deal with this issue from the legal standpoint. They should prevent Azerbaijanis from going to Syria. The main task of the society is to raise awareness in this regard.”

Deputy Minister added that it is not right to serve policies of other countries and become the victims of their interest: “I'm sorry for it. Azerbaijan has the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. If we have sons ready to lay down their lives, they should stay in Azerbaijan and wait for the order of the Commander-in-Chief. We support peaceful resolution of the problems in Syria. Our young people should refrain form such deceptive ideas."