Azernews.Az

Azerbaijan’s Constitution protects religious freedom, but other laws and policies restrict religious freedom and the government generally enforces these restrictions in practice, the US State Department has said in its religious freedom report.

"Most religious groups met without government interference; however, authorities reportedly monitored and raided some religious services, confiscated religious materials, and harassed and detained members of Muslim and Christian groups, some of which are minority religious groups that lack a long history in the country," claimed the report for the period July-December 2010, released on Tuesday by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.

There are also burdensome registration requirements for religious groups, the International Religious Freedom Report alleged.

It also said there was "no change in the status of respect" for religious freedom by the government; however, there were "negative developments" in some areas.

"Examples of new government restrictions were: a ban on the wearing of the hijab (headscarf) for female students in elementary and secondary schools for the sake of preserving a secular environment in the country's schools and substantial increases in fines for violating laws on religious activities."

The Bureau also said there were reports of societal discrimination based on religious affiliation, belief or practice. There was occasional hostility toward groups that proselytized, particularly Jehovah's Witnesses, evangelical Christians, and other missionary groups, it said.

Global challenges
The US religious freedom report cited widespread challenges in its survey of nearly 200 countries.

The Congressionally mandated report is meant to "bear witness to those who are persecuted because of their faith and shine a light on governments and societies that promote or tolerate such abuses."

"As we look around the world, we see many countries where governments deny their people the most fundamental human rights -- the right to believe according to their own conscience, including the freedom to not believe or not follow the religion favored by their government," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a press conference announcing the report's release.

The report identifies Iran, Uzbekistan, China, and Burma among "countries of particular concern" and says Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan also face significant challenges in securing religious freedom.

Clinton also warned that recent popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa had exposed religious and ethnic minorities to new dangers, and urged the people of the region not to "trade one form of repression for another."