Religious Freedom: IRLA Expresses Hope Azerbaijan Mosque Remains a Place of Worship
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As the fate of the historic Juma mosque in the Icherisheher, or old city, section of Baku hangs in the balance, the secretary-general of the International Religious Liberty Association has said he hopes government demands to turn the house of worship into a textile museum are dropped. |
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Imam Ilgar Allahverdiyev, left, meets with IRLA President Denton Lotz June 24, 2003. [file photo]
As the fate of the historic Juma mosque in the Icherisheher, or old city, section of Baku hangs in the balance, the secretary-general of the International Religious Liberty Association has said he hopes government demands to turn the house of worship into a textile museum are dropped.
On January 16, executives of the Juma mosque received a letter from the historical preservation authority in Baku, citing a finding by the Republic of Azerbaijan's General Prosecutor's Office that Imam Ilgar Ibragimoglu was guilty of illegal activities, and therefore the mosque needed to be turned over to city officials. The preservation authority apparently plans to have the Juma mosque, which for more than 10 years has functioned as a worship center, revert to its former role as a museum.
Both leaders of the Juma mosque and Ibragimoglu deny that he is guilty of any crimes. The imam, a popular figure in his community, is also secretary of the Azerbaijan chapter of the IRLA.
"I hope the authorities will not implement these demands" for the surrender of the mosque, said IRLA leader Dr. John Graz, who is also director of Public Affairs and Religious Liberty for the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
"Today it may be a mosque that seems to be the issue," he added. "Tomorrow, may bring action opposing a Christian church's right to operate freely."
The issue of religious freedom is not a parochial one, Graz declared: "We are all in this together. Religious freedom is not something we earn. It is a God-given right irrespective of how or what we believe."
Ibragimoglu, who visited IRLA headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, in June 2003, supported an opposition candidate during recent presidential elections in Azerbaijan, a central Asian republic that was formerly part of the Soviet Union. During an Oct. 17 police raid on the Juma mosque, he took refuge in the Norwegian embassy. On Dec. 1, the imam was ordered in for questioning by police, after which he was detained. An arraignment hearing resulted in his confinement pending a formal trial. (See ANN, December 9, 2003.)
Various human rights groups have taken up the cause of both the Juma mosque and Imam Ibragimoglu. The Azeri human rights group Center for the Protection of Conscience and Persuasion Freedom, known as DEVAMM reported that on January 22, several observers visited the Juma mosque and observed no illegal activities. The observers included officials from the American and Norwegian embassies, the Council of Europe representative office in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan chapter of the IRLA, representatives of DEVAMM, leaders of the "Juma" Mosque, and two Azeri human rights activists, Saida Gojamanli and Arzu Abdullayeva.
A statement from DEVAMM indicated that "after talking to the members of the religious community, the monitoring group made a conclusion that no illegal activities either existed or were planned for the future on the territory of the mosque."
Mosque leaders provided the monitoring groups with the documents confirming the state registration of the religious community of "Juma" Mosque by Sabail district authorities in the city of Baku in 1992 according to the president's directive, as well as by the national Ministry of Justice in 1993.
"Just as we are very sensitive about freedom for churches, we also believe that members of other faiths should have and keep a place to worship, respecting public order and social peace," Dr. Graz said.
"I hope the case of Imam Ibragimoglu will be carefully investigated, because he is a popular imam and he has taken a lot of risks to help people of other religions," Dr. Graz added. He encouraged those who support religious freedom to send a message of encouragement via email to the Azeri IRLA chapter, at irla_az@hotmail.com.
Located between Iran and Russia and bordering the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan's population of more than 7 million consists of only 3 percent claiming affiliation with any Christian church. However, Azerbaijan's constitution upholds the right of all people to choose and practice their religion.
The IRLA was founded in 1893 by Adventist church leaders and has developed into a non-sectarian organization dedicated to safeguarding religious civil rights around the world.
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