Reaction of Azerbaijani Society to the Prophet Mohammed Caricatures

One of the main events, shaken the whole world this week, is the numerous protest actions of Muslims all over the world. The manifestations have been held against the publication of caricatures on the Prophet Mohammed in several press outlets of a number of European countries. The religious communities and Muslim believers of Azerbaijan also condemned the disrespect of the Prophet Mohammad and held a number of protest actions too. (11-FEB-2006)

Forum “No to Islamophobia”
On the 7-th of February a forum of the public and NGOs called “No to Islamophobia” took place in the International Press Center of Baku. The organizer of the forum and the head of the religious community Haji Ilgar Ibrahimoglu (on the right) stated that Insults of the Prophet Mohammed in the European press had aggravated situation and demonstrated “intolerance” toward the Islamic religion. He expressed indignation because Danish authorities did not apologize to the Islamic world. He noted that officials in Copenhagen apologized only after the European Union’s building in Palestine was captured, though Danish newspapers continued publication of the offensive caricatures.

According to Haji Ilgar the fact that the Council of Europe did not express attitude to the matter was hypocrisy. He also condemned violence on the part of Muslims organizing rallies, and said such actions were unacceptable. The publication of caricatures was thought out before for provoking possibility of the next world war.” It was told that sometimes it is impossible to be tolerant.
Clips entitled “Islam -religion of love”, “We Love the Prophet”, “Islam is a religion of peace” were shown at the forum. An appeal on forum’s results condemning insults of the Prophet was adopted and signed by several dozens of public and political figures, leaders of NGOs and religious communities. Representatives of several other non-Muslim religious communities also participated in the forum and demonstrated the support.

Demonstrations in Baku
On the 9-th of February several hundred believers held an unauthorized demonstration on the occasion of Ashura (a holiday mourning the anniversary of the death of the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, Imam al-Huseyn ibn Ali). Demonstrators with black and green flags with religious texts on them marched to French Embassy to protest against the publication of caricatures on the Prophet Mohammed by France’s mass media. Though the action was unauthorized, police did not interfere, only accompanying demonstrators, and stopping them one block from the French Embassy. Demonstrators talked with Yashar Aliyev, the Head of City Police, who asked the demonstrators to send two or three people to the Embassy to convey their demands. The demonstrators then marched on towards “Teze Pir” Mosque and the action ended without serious incidents.

Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry condemns the disrespect for Islam
“Azerbaijan always supported and encouraged dialogue between religions as it is important for strengthening of mutual respect and understanding between various religions,” said Tair Tagizade, chief of Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry’s Information Department on the 7-th of February, while expressing Ministry’s official position to manifestation of disrespect for Islam in several European media in the past time.
As a secular state with predominant Muslim population, in which representatives of various religions live together, Azerbaijan condemns disrespect for religions and people’s feelings. Azerbaijan Republic stands for resolving of the above-mentioned problem through constructive dialogue and stressed importance of prevention of various challenges through joint efforts.

Norwegian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Condemns Prophet Mohammed Caricatures
On the 9-th of February, commenting on his country’s position regarding Muslim concerns about the caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad, the Norwegian Ambassador Steinar Gill (on the right) told TURAN’s correspondent that Norwegian government condemns any actions or statements that disrespect people for religious or ethnic reasons. He expressed his disapproval of the Norwegian “Magazinet” magazine’s decision to reprint the caricatures. “Islam is the religion of a large part of the world and is worthy of deep respect,” said the Ambassador.

He added that publishing of such cartoons could spoil the relationships between representatives of various religions and nations. Ambassador Gill continued by stating that the Norwegian government supports the work done by the UN to prevent manifestations of religious intolerance. “Tolerance, mutual respect, and dialogue are fundamental values of Norwegian society and foreign policy. Freedom of speech is also vital to Norwegian society, meaning that it is necessary to tolerate opinions which are not supported by everyone. However, Norwegian laws and the country’s international commitments limit expressions that disrespect other people,” added the Ambassador.