AZERBAIJANIS TAKE SIDES IN ISRAELI-LEBANESE WAR
By Fariz Ismailzade
Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC –
Aug. 14, 2006
The ongoing military operations between Israel and Lebanon have
sparked popular protests and heated debates in Azerbaijan. Although
a predominantly Muslim country, Azerbaijan prides itself on being
a secular country and having strong ties with Israel and the United
States. Nevertheless, the high rate of poverty and the influence of
foreign radical Islamic groups have resulted in the establishment
and gradual growth of Islamic groups in the country.
Right after the launch of the war in Lebanon, the Azerbaijani Islamic
Organization for the Freedom of Religion attempted to stage protest
marches in front of the Israeli and U.S. Embassies in Baku. Similar
action was taken in front of the UN office in Baku. Local police
managed to disperse the crowd of about 200 people, yet this did not
discourage the group’s members from attempting a second rally. This
time, several people were arrested.
The group is headed by Ilgar Ibrahimli, a well-known Shia imam from the
Juma mosque, who made news three years ago for advocating on behalf of
the opposition candidate in the presidential election and subsequently
being evicted from the mosque for using religion in politics. Since
then, Ibrahimli has been a loud critic of the Azerbaijani authorities
and on several occasion has organized mass rallies to protest the
Danish cartoons against the prophet Mohammad, U.S. anti-terror
operations, and the presence of Azerbaijani military personnel in Iraq.
On another occasion, the residents of Nardaran, a village about 19
miles northwest of Baku, staged a protest meeting in the village’s
central square to criticize Israeli policy in the Middle East.
Protestors used slogans such as "Stop aggression! Bush and Israel are
full of blood!" Nardaran is one of the most conservative areas in the
country, where all women cover their heads and the street signs are
in Arabic. Clashes erupted between police forces and the residents of
the village in 2002, and since then Nardaran has remained an Islamic
stronghold on the outskirts of Baku.
Not all voices in the country, however, offer such emotional shows
of support for Muslim solidarity with Lebanon. Several Azerbaijani
newspapers, such as Azadliq, Echo, and Zerkalo, have questioned the
need to support Lebanon due to the close links between Azerbaijan’s
archrival Armenia and official Beirut. In fact, Lebanon has recognized
the 1915 Armenian genocide thanks to the lobbying efforts of the
Armenian diaspora in Lebanon, while Israel has refused to acknowledge
the event for many decades.
"How can ASALA [the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia,
which targets Turkish diplomats and citizens] and Hezbollah co-exist
in one town?" exclaims the popular news portal Day.az, referring to
the fact that ASALA is headquartered in Beirut and gets a significant
amount of funding from Lebanon.
Similarly, some political experts and analysts believe that Azerbaijan
should not take an open stance in the Israeli-Lebanese war due to
the strategic importance of Israel to Azerbaijan. Both nations have
a long history of warm relations, and there are some 8,900 Jews in
Azerbaijan. Israel can serve as a vitally needed voice for Azerbaijan
in the United States and Europe by explaining Azerbaijani national
interests to foreign policy leaders. Israel’s military and economic
expertise could also be very useful for Azerbaijan’s rapidly growing
economy.
For these very reasons the Azerbaijani ruling elite has taken a very
cautious approach toward the latest conflict. The Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry has issued a very mild statement about the Israeli-Lebanese
war and President Ilham Aliyev decided not to travel to Malaysia to
participate in the August 3 emergency session of the heads of state
of members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Instead, the
lower profile prime minister, Arthur Rasizadeh, was sent to the event.
Similarly, Sheikh Allahshukur Pashazade, head of Muslim clergy in
the country, has been criticizing Arab unity since his return from a
conference in Tehran, and has reminded the Azerbaijani public that
not all Islamic nations have supported Azerbaijan in the ongoing
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.
Instead of loud diplomatic statements and openly taking sides,
Azerbaijan has so far preferred to send humanitarian assistance to
the suffering people of Lebanon. With images of victims, especially
children, broadcast on television daily, the people of Azerbaijan are
not likely to remain indifferent. Yet the more pragmatic analysts in
Azerbaijan believe that Israel is more important to secular Azerbaijan
than is Lebanon.
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