Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board (CMB), at the international conference “Islamophobia: Exposing Prejudice and Destroying Stigma” in Baku, Trend reports.

“Azerbaijan, as an independent state that regards ethnic and religious diversity as a national treasure, has presented a model of interfaith and intercultural harmony to the world. It has become a country capable of advancing the ideas of multiculturalism and Islamic unity,” he emphasized.

Pashazade noted that the Azerbaijani state demonstrates deep respect for religion based on national and spiritual values.

“Today, we must firmly oppose those who misuse Islam for political purposes and distort its values. As a religious institution, we actively defend our position on all international forums and platforms dedicated to interfaith dialogue and cooperation,” he stated.

He recalled that during the Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territories, not only were mosques destroyed, but the history of Christian churches was also falsified.

“Under those circumstances, the Caucasus Muslims Board was forced to suspend the activities of its imamate in those lands,” the religious leader noted.

Pashazade added that in order to restore the spiritual presence of the Azerbaijani people in Western Azerbaijan, a historically significant decision was recently made to resume the activities of the Iravan Imamate.

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