Azerbaijan: Tough on terrorists

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Azerbaijan has taken tough steps to keep Islamist terror groups at bay. The administration has ordered closure of mosques where Muslims assembled for prayers but there was the risk of foreign terror groups brain washing them to disrupt normal life.

CJ: Chitranjan Sawant

Wed, Nov 04, 2009 10:59:15 IST

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AZERBAIJAN, THE oil rich country known for its health resort, Baku, has taken some difficult decisions to keep the country free from Islamist terrorists of other countries. The administration has ordered closure of mosques where Muslims assembled for prayers but there was the risk of foreign terror groups brain washing them to disrupt normal life.

The Muezzins have called the government orders as despotic and violation of fundamental right of freedom of faith. Now the Imams stand in the courtyard of their houses and give a call to the faithfuls to pray. But pray in their own houses and not in a public place.

Ostensibly, the closure of mosques in Azerbaijan, a Muslim majority country, is for extensive repairs. The hidden reason is: keep the terror groups of other countries at bay and diplomatically prevent them from fomenting trouble that might hurt the growing economy of Azerbaijan.

The President of the country has said that he does not want Azerbaijan to become a Chechnya or an Angushetia where ethnic troubles erupted on a large scale and forced Moscow to intervene and put down the armed revolts with a heavy hand. It may be recalled that these states were a part of the erstwhile Soviet union and had become naturalised Russians. Even the names were changed from Mohammed to Mohammadov to be in line with the national ethos.

The authorities of Azerbaijan are firm in their resolve not to let outsiders disturb the smooth flow of life and peace in their country. They are determined to promote the home-grown Islam to oust the Islamist terror groups.