Freedom of religion in Azerbaijan

The “Law on the Freedom of Religion” ^[4] in Azerbaijan was adopted on the basis of Decree No. 281, signed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan - Abulfaz Elchibey in 1992 ^[5] , August 20 ^[6] .

In view of changes on religious grounds, three times in 1996 — June 7, November 5, and December 27; October 10, 1997 ; November 23, 2001 ; in 2009 , 2011 , 2015 (the “Law on the fight against religious extremism” ^[7] ), the “Law on the Freedom of Religion” was edited and some restrictions were introduced. However, according to some reports, there were abuses and restrictions in this area: some religious groups reported delays and denials of registration. Some restrictions remained on the importation of religious literature ^{[1] [2]} .

In 2009, members of the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan introduced an amendment prohibiting people who received higher education abroad to hold posts in the religious structure of the state. ^[6]

In 2016, the essence of the “Law on the fight against religious extremism” was amended by the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan . ^[eight]

Azerbaijan has an area of ​​33,774 square miles (8,77470 square kilometers), and its population is 10,147,486 people ^[9] (as of 2018). By the beginning of the 21st century, no reliable statistics on membership in specific religious groups were collected; However, according to official data, approximately 96% of the country's population is Muslim. The rest of the population consists mainly of Orthodox, members of the Armenian Apostolic Church (almost all of them live in the region of those who have broken away from Nagorno-Karabakh ), Jews and atheists .

According to the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations (SCWRA), the Muslim population of the country consists of approximately 85% of Shiites and 15% of Sunnis ; Differences between groups are not clearly defined. In a 2011 report , the US State Department presented other figures: 65% Shia and 35% Sunni.

The overwhelming majority of Christians are Russian Orthodox . Christians were concentrated in Baku and Sumgayit - the third largest city in the country.

The Jewish population is 16 thousand people. ^[ten]

There are only 7 Jewish faith communities. The synagogues continue to function in Baku, Guba (the village of Krasnaya Sloboda ) and Oguz . ^[2] There are six rabbis . On the territory of Azerbaijan, namely, in the city of Baku there is the largest synagogue in the whole Caucasus. ^[eleven]

The Cathedral of the Catholic Church also functions in Baku. ^[12]

During the time of the existence of the Azerbaijan SSR there were only 17 mosques in Azerbaijan (4 of them operated in Baku ^{[13] )} . Prior to this, there were 1,369 mosques (969 - Shiite, 400 - Sunni) ^[14] According to the statistics of 2017, there are approximately 2,166 mosques in the country. ^[15]

During the ten-year period from 1993 to 2003, 150 madrasas functioned in the country (22 of which are controlled by the Iranian authorities, while the other 14 were registered by the bodies of the Ministry of Justice . ^[16]

Today, in general, there are about 2,100 madrasas in Azerbaijan. ^[17] Orthodox churches on the Russian model in the country 5 - 3 in the capital city, one in Ganja and another in the Khachmaz district . ^[2] Since 2006, the Albano-Udi church Chotari has been operating in the village of Nij ( Gabala ). ^[17]

Shiites, Sunnis, Russian Orthodox and Jews are considered the “traditional” religious groups of the country. Small congregations of Lutherans , Catholics, Baptists , Molokans (Old Believers), Seventh Day Adventists and Baha’is have been present in the territory of Azerbaijan for over a hundred years. Over the past decade, a number of religious groups considered “foreign” or “non-traditional” have established their presence in the country: including Wahhabis and Salafi Muslims , Pentecostals and Evangelical Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses and Hare Krishnas .

There were also significant emigrant Christian and Muslim communities in Baku; The authorities generally allowed these groups to freely worship their gods. ^[18]

Now in Azerbaijan there are more than 510 religious communities, 32 of them are non-Muslim. ^[2]

On June 11, 2018, the president of the state signed a decree, which deals with material assistance to religious communities. According to the content of the order from the reserve fund of the Azerbaijani state budget, envisaged for 2018, financial assistance is provided to the following institutions ^[19] :

Legal and political framework

The Constitution of Azerbaijan provides that individuals of all faiths can choose and profess their religion without restriction; however, there were some abuses and restrictions. In accordance with the Constitution, the expression as well as the dissemination of religious views is the natural right of everyone, regardless of racial national and gender affiliation. ^[20] Most religious groups hold their meetings without interference from government bodies. Also, everyone has the right to choose and change their religious affiliation and beliefs (including atheism ), to join or create a religious group of their choice, and to practice their religion. Religious Freedom Act expressly prohibits the government from interfering in the religious activities of any individual or group; however, there are exceptions - including cases where the activities of a religious group "threaten public order and stability." The law prohibits the enforcement of rituals and the introduction to religious groups. People who are not citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan are deprived of the right to conduct confessional propaganda on the territory of the country. ^[20]

A number of legal provisions allow the government to regulate religious groups: including requiring religious organizations, including individual congregations, to register with government bodies. Official registration allows a religious organization to have a bank account, rent property and act as a legal entity .

Since 2001, religious groups are required to register with the SCWRA. The SCWRA is vested with broad powers to register groups, publish, import and distribute religious literature, and it can also suspend the activities of religious groups that violate the law.

According to the SCWRA ^[21] , 48 new groups were registered between May 2006 and June 2007.

“Freedom of religion in Azerbaijan is fully ensured” ^{[22] [23]} , Pope Francis .

According to the results obtained during a survey of the Gallup International / WI Network of Market Research, in the spring of 2015 , Azerbaijan is included in the list of 65 states as one of the most secular. ^[24]

• Constitution of Azerbaijan

• Kevin Boyle, Juliet Sheen. Azerbaijan // Freedom of Religion and Belief: A World Report. - Routledge, 2013. - 512 p. - ISBN 9781134722297 .
• Azerbaijan // Laws on Religion and the State in Post-Communist Europe / W. Cole Durham, Silvio Ferrari. - Peeters Publishers, 2004. - 328 p. - (Law and religion studies, Vol. 2). - ISBN 9789042913622 .

• Official website of the State Commission of the Republic of Azerbaijan on religious institutions
• The official website of the Catholic Church in Azerbaijan
• Official site of the religious organization “Jehovah's Witnesses”