Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.17
By Ilkin Izzet - Trend:
Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Mubariz Gurbanli made a proposal to the OSCE to hold annual competition for the most tolerant country and conduct research in this direction at an international conference to promote religious tolerance held in Baku Nov.17.
He expressed confidence that Azerbaijan will hold the first place in this contest.
He said that nowadays, the religious factor plays an important role in the world.
Gurbanli said that the promotion of tolerance is one of the important challenges in today's world.
The head of the State Committee said that armed conflicts and wars are currently taking place in 30 countries, 12 conflicts of which are on religious grounds.
"The concept of religious tolerance must include not only interreligious, but intrareligious issues," Gurbanli said. "It is necessary to strengthen the fight against radicalism and extremism within the religions themselves. Radical movements exist not only in Islam but also Christianity, Buddhism."
He said that tolerance must exist where multiculturalism is.
"It is necessary to strengthen the promotion of tolerance in the world," said the head of the State Committee. "Unlike other countries, the tolerance in Azerbaijan is also a moral imperative. Despite the fact that Azerbaijan was subjected to aggression by Armenia there is a building of the Armenian church in Baku."