Orkhan Sattarov, Exclusively to VK
The scandalous film “Innocence of Muslims” which insulted the religious feelings of Muslims and caused violence against Western embassies in the Arab countries touched upon Azerbaijan too. The reaction of Azerbaijani spiritual leaders and the common faithful was rough, but it didn’t cross the line where protests end and open extremism starts. Moderate Azerbaijani Muslims don’t accept such measures as attacks on the Western diplomatic missions in Libya, Sudan, and Egypt.
The Caucasus Muslims Department published the statement by the leader of Azerbaijani Muslims, Sheikh-ul-islam Allahshyukyur Pashazade. He criticized both the moviemakers and the West: “It caused justified dissatisfaction in the Islamic world which sadly led to murder of the American embassy’s employees in Libya. The wave of protests and demonstrations covered the Muslim world and opened the door to riots and murder of innocence people. Some Western countries stand for human rights and are thought to be democratic, but in fact they violate democratic principles and provide aggressive and racist policy against Muslim societies. We demand judging those who spread inter-ethnic and inter-confessional hatred. We demand juridical analysis of their evil behavior.”
At the same time, the Azerbaijani agency SalamNews published interesting statements by Allahshyukyur Pashazade which were made in the US ambassador’s office in Azerbaijan. The chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Department Allahshyukyur Pashazade, Archbishop of Baku and Azerbaijani Russian Orthodox Church Alexander Ishchyein, the chairman of the religious community of mountain Jews Milikh Yevdayev, the chairman of European Jews Community Gennady Zelmanovich participated in the ceremony of accession Richard Morningstar to an office. At the meeting Innocence of Muslims was discussed. Allahshyukyur Pashazade stated the movie was shot by the order of forces which want to establish tension in the religious sphere.
However, not only spiritual leaders expressed their attitude to the movie. The faithful attempted to conduct meetings in front of Western embassies in Baku. On September 17th about 50 Islamists tried to hold a protest in front of the US embassy. The police broke up the demonstration; about 30 people were arrested and let free soon. The other meeting by Islamists took place on September 18th.This time the demonstration took place in the south of Azerbaijan near the border with Iran, in Lenkorani. The police didn’t prevent the meeting. Such behavior is explained by traditionally strong positions of pro-Iranian Islamists. At the same time, Lenkorani has no American or other Western diplomatic offices. On September 24 several dozens of the faithful held the protest in front of the French embassy in Baku. 13 people were arrested.
It is interesting that participants of these three protest demonstrations in Azerbaijan are Shiah Muslims. However, it is unknown who was the initiator. The pro-Iranian Islamic Party of Azerbaijan judged the movie, but it denied its involvement into these demonstrations. In general the reaction of Azerbaijani Muslims at the anti-Islamic movie Innocence of Muslims was moderate and didn’t surpass similar actions by the faithful in previous years.
