Baku, Azerbaijan, July 15
Trend:
Today, the relationship between state and religion, ensuring favorable environment for coexistence, as well as combating religious radicalism and separatism are of great importance, Siyavush Heydarov, deputy head of Azerbaijani State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations said in an interview with Trend.
"Religious and ethnic processes ongoing in the world once again prove that multicultural security is a notion which is closely related to the social, political and international security," he said.
Heydarov added that today, the notion of multiculturalism is aimed at mutually beneficial cooperation between various religions and cultures, protecting the cultural diversity and thereby creating harmony not only in certain countries, but in the entire world.
"The developments ongoing in various regions of the world, especially, in the Islamic world once again prove the necessity of this theory and its practical significance in ensuring peace and security while protecting ethnic, religious and cultural palette," said Heydarov.
There is no alternative to multiculturalism in the world, he said. "Today, the processes ongoing in various parts of the planet, in particular, in the Islamic world once again prove the truthfulness of this theory and its practical value in maintaining peace and security in the whole world, as well as in protecting ethnic, religious and cultural diversity."
"As President Ilham Aliyev noted, today the world is indeed on verge of moral crisis. Bloody conflict, confrontations and wars are the realities of the modern world," said Heydarov.
He expressed regret that the majority of these processes are going on in Muslim countries, adding that in order to avoid a deep moral crisis, the world should strengthen the traditions of tolerance and multiculturalism.
For this purpose, the countries trying to achieve the right understanding of Islam and having secular principles in their worldview, should expand their activities in this sphere, unite efforts against aggressive policy aimed at destroying the values of Islam and the entire international community in general, Heydarov said.
He added that those who state that these values are ineffective, can come to Azerbaijan and see this model used in practice.