The State Department of the USA published a report on the level of religious freedom in various countries of the world in July-December, 2010. The Department’s conclusions may be challenged or doubted, nevertheless, this report contributed greatly to our understanding of current religious situation in the world.
The part of the report consecrated to Azerbaijan is opened by the stating several negative trends. US experts include the abolition of hidjab in elementary and secondary school and toughening of fines for breaking laws regulating religious behavior into this list. However, the report recognizes that this ‘abolition of hidjab’ hasn’t yet been accepted by the Parliament and remains only a statement made by the Education Minister. In reality, the implementation of this new regulation is up to individual school principles.
The report also mentions that a number of masques are still closed and some religious organizations have to face undue difficulties created by bureaucrats. Religious literature from abroad is also subjected to a heavy scrutiny.
As for the positive developments, the report mentions the opening of an educational center for Jewish children and the registration of 175 new religious organizations.
All South Caucasian countries have some problems with the rights of the religious minorities. For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses are often subjected to oppression. In Armenia as well as in Azerbaijan members of this denomination had been arrested for refusing to serve in the army. As for the alternative civilian service, in Azerbaijan the bill on it hasn’t been accepted by the parliament yet because of the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and in Armenia, where this type of service exists, it is still supervised by the military and thus is equally unacceptable for the Jehovah's Witnesses.
In Armenia this religious organization is can’t rend halls for meetings as their owners are pressed by the government and the Armenian Church not to rent out to Jehovah's Witnesses. This organization also faces the same difficulties in the neighboring Georgia, where they are not allowed to rent spaces seating more than 200 persons. On the other hand, Georgia turned out to be more liberal in the issue of army service. The report sums up that religious equality is generally observed in Georgia, despite a number of existing problems.
The report also treats general religious climate in the countries in question. For example, in Azerbaijan the Muslim identity of the citizens is generally based on ethnic and cultural traditions, much less – on religious feelings. The number of Muslims devoted to all religious rights is relatively low in Azerbaijan, however it is constantly growing.
In Armenia belonging to the Armenian Church is also an important aspect of national identity. The state’s constitution gives this Church a special place among other confessions.
In general, all South Caucasian governments as well as the states’ populations in general mistrust and discourage missionary activities of minor Christian denominations. In Azerbaijan there’s also the fear of radical Islam movements, that is why the country’s law on foreign missionary organizations is so strict.
It is also important to mention that this report on religious situation in the world in fact reflects US position on various territorial conflicts: USA supports the territorial integrity of Georgia and Azerbaijan. For example, the report describes religious situation in Karabakh in the section devoted to Azerbaijan, while Abkhazia and South Ossetia are treated in the Georgian clause of the document.
Of course, this report merely reflects how various governments manage to follow US standards on the freedom of religion. And these standards sometimes can’t fit to the reality of the Caucasian life, where religion is often a tool of political struggle. That is why some conclusions of the report are one-sided or even wrong. Russian Foreign Ministry has already called the State Department’s report tendentious and incompetent. South Caucasian governments haven’t made any statements to answer the report yet.
Orkhan Sattarov, exclusively to VK
