Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

An international conference entitled “Islamic Solidarity – Call of the Time” kicked off in Baku on March 15, as part of the Baku Global Forum to be held on March 15-16.

Co-organized by the Caucasus Muslims Office, State Committee for Religious Organizations, Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and Baku International Multiculturalism Center, the conference started with the recitation of ayahs from the Holy Quran.

The first session of the conference was moderated by chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Office Sheikhulislam Allahshukur Pashazade.

Pashazade, opening the event, said Azerbaijan has played an historic role in Islamic civilization.

He added that Azerbaijan has historically been a multinational and multiconfessional country, where representatives of different religions have always co-existed together in peace and understanding.

Then, Sheikhulislam provided an insight into the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

He said Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan`s lands, expelling over million Azerbaijanis from their homes.

Pashazade said the conflict must be solved only based on Azerbaijan`s territorial integrity and international law. He urged religious leaders to increase efforts towards conflict resolution.

Then, State Adviser on Multinational, Multicultural and Religious Affairs Kamal Abdulla read out President Ilham Aliyev`s message of greetings to conference participants.

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill, in his message to participants, said that traditional religions today face extremism and terrorism.

The speech was read out by metropolitan of Novgorod and Starorus Lev, who said that now representatives of different religions and cultures live together throughout the world.

"This, in turn, is inevitably promoted by mutual understanding. Terrorist acts and murders of people in the world urge us to find a model so that we can work together for peace and prevent extremism. Without tolerant attitude towards traditional religions, it is impossible to prevent extremism. Azerbaijan has good experience in this field. This country managed to create a balance of religious and cultural diversity,” the message said.

Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia in his message noted that Islam, as well as other traditional religions, has faced global challenges.

"In recent years, many people have died in terrorist acts, unique monuments have been destroyed,” he said voicing hope that the conference will be able to find way outs from this trend.

Addressing the event, Mubariz Gurbanli, the Head of Azerbaijan’s State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, said that Islamic countries must unite in the fight against Islamophobia and strengthen the struggle on the ideological front.

He noted that issues related to Islamophobia are especially evident in Europe. "To our great regret, some form a negative opinion about Islam, compare it with terrorism, saying that it is allegedly dangerous to the world," Gurbanli said.

"Today conflicts on religious grounds occur in the world. But even more disappointing is the fact that most of these conflicts occur in Muslim states. In general, the currents and trends existing in Muslim countries cause great harm to the Islamic world. 32 Muslim states do not recognize other currents,” he said.

To restore peace and stability in the world, international organizations must unite their efforts, according to Gurbanov, who added that Azerbaijan strives to fulfill the mission entrusted to it in this sphere with dignity.

The 5th Baku Global Forum co-organized by the State Committee for Work with Diaspora and the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, the forum will be joined by more than 200 presidents, former heads of state and government from 50 countries, current and former officials, heads and senior representatives of international organizations, renowned politicians and experts.

The forum, titled “Future of foreign relations: Power and interests,” will discuss a range of issues including the future of transatlantic relations, the fight against terrorism, the role of China in international relations.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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