Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 14 / Trend M. Aliyev /
Religious factors have played a great role in the process of the historical formation of the sense of national identity of the Azerbaijani people. However there is a risk of damaging the basics of forming the national identity, chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations Elshad Iskandarov said at the international conference 'Freedom of Religion and Belief: legal, political and social aspects' at the Institute for Human Rights of the National Academy of Sciences today.
"If we follow the rules and principles of some religious trends, many of our historical values will become alien to us," he said. "According to the ideology of these trends, such personalities as Nizami Ganjavi, Fuzuli and the Novruz holiday are alien to us."
He said that Azerbaijan must continue maintaining an atmosphere of inter-religious tolerance, but at the same time making a distinction between the freedom of opinion and personal freedom.
"Taking into account the geopolitical sphere including Azerbaijan, our main goal is to establish a balance between the freedom of opinion and national security," he said.
He said that at present, the main purpose of religious policy in Azerbaijan is to create favourable conditions for the development of the religious situation in the country in a positive way and strengthening stability in society.