“Azerbaijan is a multi-confessional, tolerant country where different religions and peoples live together. Throughout history, religious tolerance, respect for representatives of other religions, and good neighborliness have formed the basis of our people’s philosophy of life. This rich tradition holds an important place in Azerbaijan’s system of moral values. Azerbaijan is one of the rare countries in the world where religious and sectarian diversity exists in an atmosphere of mutual respect. There is no room for sectarian discrimination in our country. The fact that the unity prayer (vahdat namaz) was performed for the first time in Azerbaijan in terms of promoting unity and solidarity in the Islamic world is an important example of this approach.”
These thoughts were expressed by Member of Parliament Rashad Mahmudov.
He noted that while receiving the delegation consisting of Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States, members and observers of the Council of Religious Leaders of the Organization of Turkic States, co-organizers of the Seyid Yahya Bakuvi International Conference, and members of the Supreme Religious Council of the Peoples of the Caucasus, President Ilham Aliyev once again clearly expressed Azerbaijan’s religious views, traditions of tolerance, and the importance it attaches to Islamic solidarity.
The head of our country noted that the fact that the 7th meeting of the Council of Muslim Religious Leaders of the Organization of Turkic States and the international conference on Seyid Yahya Bakuvi are held on the same days in Baku carries a special meaning.
These events are another confirmation of Azerbaijan’s rich spiritual heritage, religious tolerance, and attitude towards Islamic solidarity. The legacy of great personalities such as Seyid Yahya Bakuvi, Nizami Ganjavi, Khagani Shirvani, Nasimi, Shah Ismail Khatai, and Muhammad Fuzuli is an invaluable treasure that the Azerbaijani people have gifted to world culture. This heritage is an indicator of our people’s deep historical and spiritual ties with the Turkic world, the Caucasus, and the Islamic geography.
The President rightly declared that the gathering of religious leaders from the Turkic world, the Caucasus, and Islamic countries in Baku demonstrates Azerbaijan’s unifying position. Our country supports Islamic solidarity with concrete steps. The 4th Islamic Solidarity Games held in Baku in 2017 and the upcoming OIC Summit to be held in Baku next year are clear examples of this.
Touching upon the importance of the religious leaders’ visit to Karabakh, the head of state emphasized that they would see the consequences of the 30-year occupation, the destroyed cities, villages, and mosques, and at the same time, they would witness the new face of the reviving Karabakh. Even though the war is over, the crimes committed against our people over 30 years will never be erased from Azerbaijan’s historical memory. This is because the crimes committed in these lands were directed against the history, cultural heritage, and moral values of the Islamic world of the Azerbaijani people.
The MP concluded by noting that holding prestigious events in our country shows Azerbaijan’s open position towards peace, dialogue, and cooperation. Respect for religious and national values is one of the moral pillars of our people. This position of Azerbaijan serves both the protection of our national heritage and the strengthening of unity and solidarity in the Turkic and Islamic world.