The Azerbaijan National NGO Forum has expressed concern over information attacks on the country's secular state model, saying that online resources in Iran and other foreign countries have recently been promoting a state system based on Sharia principles and seeking to mislead public opinion and artificially fuel divisions within Azerbaijani society. The forum strongly condemned deliberate attempts to politicize discussions surrounding dress codes for students and teachers in schools and to turn the issue into a source of religious confrontation. As an umbrella organization bringing together hundreds of non-governmental organizations, the forum called on Azerbaijani society to remain vigilant against information provocations targeting the country's national interests, constitutional values and social solidarity.
It should be noted that secularism is a historic achievement of Azerbaijan, a tradition of statehood, and a national asset. Azerbaijan has gone down in history as the first country to establish the tradition of secular statehood in the Muslim East and in the Turkic world. Our people have always treated their religious and moral values with great respect, and Islam has become an important component of our people's historical and cultural heritage.
The green color on our State Flag is also a symbol of our people's historical and cultural ties with Islamic civilization. At the same time, the strength of Azerbaijani statehood is also reflected in the fact that representatives of different religions live together as one family, in peace and mutual respect. Mosques, churches, and synagogues operate side by side in our country.
The attention the state devotes to the protection of places of worship, the restoration of historical monuments, and the construction of new places of worship is a clear example of Azerbaijan's traditions of religious tolerance and coexistence. The fact that the restoration and construction work in our liberated territories began precisely with a mosque (the Aghdam Juma Mosque), and that the call to prayer rose amid the sounds of gunfire at the moment Shusha was liberated, has remained in memory as a symbol of our people's attachment to Islam and respect for their religious values. Using religious values for political purposes and turning religious beliefs into an instrument of confrontation within society corresponds neither to the spiritual essence of Islam nor to our people's traditions of coexistence formed over centuries.
According to the relevant decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan, requirements governing student uniforms prohibit clothing elements that violate the uniform dress code or conflict with the secular principle of general education. Requirements for teachers' attire are likewise intended to maintain professional standards and preserve the secular character of the educational environment. The forum emphasized that the separation of religion and state is a conscious choice made by the Azerbaijani people and that attempts to undermine this principle would not succeed.
Religious superstition and fanaticism belong to the past, the statement said, adding that Azerbaijan's Enlightenment Movement had fought against such practices and helped establish the foundations of a modern state. Azerbaijani society was determined to protect both its religious heritage and the principle of secular statehood. In addressing such issues, the Constitution of Azerbaijan, national legislation and national interests should serve as the main criteria, rather than emotions, provocative appeals or propaganda directed from abroad.
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