Azerbaijan, Baku / Тrend corr S. Ilhamgizi / The disputes between the Azerbaijani State Committee on Work with Religious Organizations and the Caucasus Muslims' Clerical Port (CMCP) which occurred 5 years ago create tension in the Azerbaijani religious field, the deputy chair of the CMCP, who is also the principal of the Azerbaijani Islamic University, Haji Sabir Hasanli said at the conference Religion & Press which took place in the Press Council on 23 November.
According to Hasanli, there are over 300 religious organizations registered in Azerbaijan. The CMCP is the 138th of them. The State Committee on Work with Religious Organizations should not register religious organizations the activities of which contradict with statehood. The activities of CMCP have never been intended against the statehood of Azerbaijan.
As to religious situation in the country, Hasanli said that hundreds of young people and families in Azerbaijan are under pressure of Vahhabism and Protestantism, but they should not be isolated from Azerbaijani society.
Azerbaijani people are tolerant in terms of religion and Azerbaijan cannot turn to a religious state, the chief editor of the Azerbaijan newspaper, MP Bakhtiyar Sadigov said at the conference.
"Number of mosques constructions has recently increased in Azerbaijan and that is good, but if a school in some village is in bad condition or a village has not a school at all, construction of a mosque is a secondary matter," Sadigov said.
It was noted at the conference that Azerbaijan needs a right agitation of Islam. Only professional journalists should write about Islam in media and the details of fighting against dangerous religious sects held by the law-enforcement bodies should be kept in secret.