NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT CANNOT BE USED AS SPACE FOR RELIGIOUS WARS: SHEIKH-UL-ISLAM OF CAUCASUS

Today.Az
cs/53230.html
June 18 2009
Azerbaijan

One cannot use the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as space for religious
wars, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, head of the Muslim Board
for the Caucasus, said.

"Nagorno-Karabakh is our great pain, and we want to solve it
peacefully, we do utmost so that no one to use this and other conflicts
as a space for religious war. I together with Patriarch of Russia
are making appeals to leaders of countries to peacefully resolve such
urgent issues," Pashazade told a news conference in Moscow.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.

Pashazade justified the creation of an advisory council to the fact
that the world’s many ills – drugs, alcohol, weapons, that it is
dangerous to society.

He said religious leaders can not be away from these problems and it
is a step for the global association of CIS Muslim.

"Future generations will not forgive us that we failed to preserve the
space created over the past few decades, it is necessary to appreciate
the wealth, and we can not refuse it," Pashazade said.

According to him, the conference was very pleased by the news that a
constituent assembly to create a high-level working group on interfaith
dialogue with the UNESCO to be held in Moscow next month.

Yesterday, Muslim leaders of CIS countries held an international
scientific-practical conference "The Muslims of the CIS inter-religious
and interethnic concord." The conference was held at the initiative of
the Supreme Council of Muslims of the Caucasus and the International
Islamic Mission. The conference involved 40 Muslim religious leaders
from the eight member countries of CIS, as well as heads of Russia’s
traditional faiths.