Religious tolerance in Azerbaijan praised by European Parliament
Baku, November 14 (AZERTAC). Presentation of the report on the "Religious minorities in Azerbaijan: from history to independence" prepared by the international organization of Human Rights Without Frontiers was held in Brussels on November 13 at the headquarters of the European Parliament in Brussels.
The address of the Vice-President of the European Parliament Laszlo Surjan to the event participants noted they were deeply impressed by the report.
Laszlo Surjan congratulated Azerbaijan on achieving fundamental results in the field of peaceful coexistence and cooperation among the Muslim majority with religious minorities.
According to him, Azerbaijan`s tolerance sets a good example for the Muslim world, therefore it is important to make visible the added value of such peaceful co-existence to both European and Muslim countries.
“Theoretically it is easy, in practice it is more difficult, to find the right balance for the co-existence of majority and minority religions and beliefs. Azerbaijan achieved significant successes in this regard and found this balance,” Surjan said.
"It is my greatest pleasure to be able to praise the country for the very promising developments in accommodating non-Muslim minorities in 96% Islamic Azerbaijan. I believe that their model constitutes a role model for the Muslim world; therefore it is very important to make the added value of such peaceful co-existence visible for all of us. This might be helpful for the problematic countries of the Arab Spring and might also contribute to fight against Islamophobia in Western countries," the European Parliament's Vice-President said.
Chairman of Human Rights Without Frontiers Willy Fautré presented a report prepared by his group. He stressed that the report was made on the basis of researchs held during the visits of the organization's representatives to Azerbaijan.
The report says that the balanced state policy pursued in Azerbaijan in the sphere of religion is an important contribution in this area.
In connection with the report, the European Parliament has recommended strengthening strategic ties with Azerbaijan, to provide assistance to the states affected by religious conflicts as well as in the application of Azerbaijan`s model of tolerance in other Muslim countries.
Elshad Iskandarov, chairman of Azerbaijan State Committee for Religious Associations noted that the report was very important because it was the first document prepared by the European institutions, which reflects the religious tolerance in Azerbaijan and the relationship between state and religion.
"It is very significant that, the report was submitted to the headquarters of the European Parliament on the eve of the Vilnius summit of Eastern Partnership." This report, in contrast to some other reports that are not based on reality and voiced in the European Parliament, objectively reflects the high level of religious tolerance in Azerbaijan," Iskandarov noted.
He said that we hope after acquaintance with this report, the Members of European Parliament (MEPs), which from time to time express their concern about the growing sectarian tensions in the world, will see the reality of a unique and positive model on the European continent. The model of tolerance in predominantly-Muslim Azerbaijan is ahead of some European countries on religious tolerance:.
The Committee chairman also noted that preparation of objective reports not only meets the interests of Azerbaijan. "Recognizing the realities, the European organizations raise their prestige in the world. From this point of view, the objective reports are in the interests of Europe," he added.
The same day a week-long exhibition “Azerbaijan - land of tolerance” initiated by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation opened at the European Parliament.
Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Belgium Fuad Iskandarov said the Azerbaijani model of tolerance can be an example for many states.
Reza Degati, author of the photos, stressed that the inter-cultural and inter-religious tolerance is the key factor for peace and co-existence and highly assessed the initiatives of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
The representatives of Orthodox, Jewish, Protestant and Albanian-Udi communities in Azerbaijan informed the participants about the atmosphere of religious tolerance in Azerbaijan.
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