State Committee calls for coordination among religious communities to counter threats

The activities of religious leaders and communities should be coordinated to prevent the spread of groups and ideological influences that may threaten Azerbaijan's culture of coexistence, Gunduz Ismayilov, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, told journalists on the sidelines of a regional conference in Goygol, Report informs.

Ismayilov noted that the conference's focus on coexistence was no coincidence.

"Azerbaijan is a unique country where representatives of different peoples and religions have lived together for centuries, perhaps even millennia. Judaism has a 26-century history in Azerbaijan. Christianity began spreading in this region from the first century, while Islam has been the leading religion here for 13 centuries. Despite Islam's dominant role, Jewish and Christian communities have preserved their presence throughout this period," he said.

According to Ismayilov, the culture of coexistence is not only a way of life for the Azerbaijani people but also a key element of state policy.

"Preserving this culture and passing it on to future generations is a state policy. It is also a noble mission for both public officials and religious leaders. In this regard, we consider it important to coordinate the activities of religious leaders and communities and to keep them informed in a timely manner in order to counter groups and ideological narratives that may threaten our culture of coexistence. This is one of the main objectives of such regional conferences," he added.