“One of our main priorities is the fight against religious fanaticism in Azerbaijan. Not a single family is immune to the possibility that their children might fall under the influence of religious ideology. You can see this clearly in a film we produced “Fitne”, which was written based off the examples of parents whose children participated in the wars in Syria and lost their lives there…”
said Mubariz Qurbanli, the chairman of the State Committee on Religious Structures at a city council meeting in Nizami district, reported APA.
He further stated that in all of Azerbaijan, it is imperative to fight against religious radicalism: “We are at war not with religion, but against religious fanaticism, which are, of course, not the same thing. In Azerbaijan, the government has always been careful to tend to the religious community and its concerns. Recently, our president allocated large sums of aid to the religious communities of the country…”
According to Qurbanli, the war against religious radicalism is being led on three fronts: “…The first of them is an ideological struggle. In Azerbaijan, there is little soil for radically religious groups to plant their roots in. Our moral values, our culture and history do not allow for it. Unfortunately, from time to time, these groups do find small niches in which to hide. And for that reason we must struggle to evict them from these spaces…”
The second front includes the active participation of rights – defending organizations. “The third front is concentrated in the economic sphere. We can not allow for such people [fanatics] to obtain funds and means so that they may portray themselves to the people as wealth and well-to-do, which would then attract the attention of youth and other vulnerable individuals. Religious radicalism is a problem that all of mankind is currently facing. Religious fanaticism brings with it catastrophe. That is why the government must make sure to eradicate and fight against it.
