Azernews.Az

The head of a mosque located outside Baku has said he was warned by executive officials Friday to be careful during Namaz, Islamic prayer, and to prevent people from other locations entering the shrine over possible subversions from neighboring Iran.
Imam Mubariz Gachayev, who heads the mosque in the Mushfigabad settlement, 30 km away from the Azerbaijani capital, said he was called to the local executive authority where the warning was issued.
According to Gachayev, the executive officials had held broad discussions at the Garadagh district executive authority attended by National Security Ministry representatives, who warned that subversive groups had crossed into Azerbaijan from Iran and are seeking to stage subversions in crowded places, including mosques.
The Imam also said two days ago he was called to a local police department and told not to allow people from other parts of the city to enter his mosque.
However, the Garadagh executive authority has refuted the statement on their meeting with security officers.
Another mosque in Baku, Mashadi Dadash, was issued a warning on Friday. According to its representative Shahin Hasanli, the State Committee on Religious Organizations has told them to disallow prayers on the street.
Gunduz Ismayilov, a department head at the Committee, has confirmed that such a recommendation was issued to the Mashadi Dadash mosque due to circulating reports about possible subversions.*