Azeri official denies US report on violation of religious freedoms
ANS TV, Baku
8 Jan 05
[Presenter] The US State Department has seriously criticized
Azerbaijan for the state of religious freedoms. And official Baku has
described these accusations as slanderous.
[Correspondent over archive footage] The US State Department has
released an annual report on the state of religious freedoms in
2004. According to the report, some religious groups have complained
about problems with registration.
[Passage: further details of the report]
Rafiq Aliyev, head of the State Committee for Work with Religious
Structures, does not agree with the US State Department
report. Official Baku does not accept this as an accusation. The
document is not based on facts and is slanderous. Aliyev said that
religious minorities are facing much more problems in the USA, which
has issued the report, than those in any other country. People in that
country are even afraid of calling themselves Muslims. People are
denied employment because of their religious beliefs. These facts have
been registered in New York and Washington. If two people apply for
the same job, the Christian is hired. But there have been no such
reports in Azerbaijan, he said.
Aliyev considers it lawful that the State Committee for Work with
Religious Structures is keeping the importation of religious
literature under its control. Quote, we do not allow the importation
of literature which is not in line with our national interests and we
will do so in the future, end quote.
Aliyev said there is no problem with the registration of religious
communities. We have received no complaints from the religious
communities that have applied for registration, he said.
Aliyev said it is legal that foreign citizens are not allowed to
propagate their religion in the country. And the report that
untraditional religions and the Cuma mosque are being persecuted in
Azerbaijan is not correct. The Cuma mosque is being refurbished now
and the congregation prays in another mosque. The head of the
community is making speeches in the media on a regular basis.
[Passage omitted: Quotes from a report about the state of religious
freedoms in Armenia]