By: Mazahir Afandiyev
A member of the Milli Majlis of the Azerbaijan Republic
The problem of intercultural and interreligious dialogue, as well as issues related to multiculturalism hold a special place in the globalizing world. As the world is globalizing, the new challenges call moderating the new values and norms to maintain peace in the world. The nations need to adopt national and moral values in daily based to learn living together in inclusive societies.
Heydar Aliyev who said, “Azerbaijani people themselves, by their nature and by their character, possess a high sense of tolerance”, gave the most genuine and clear explanation of our attitude towards universal values, as a society, and called Azerbaijan as the homeland of representatives of various nations irrespective of their nationality and religion. Of course, it is natural for Azerbaijan to demonstrate tolerant position towards different views, traditions and customs, because Azerbaijan located on historical Silk Route, as a conjunction point of different civilizations, is known as a land where the atmosphere of national and cultural diversity was formed throughout the centuries and representatives of different nationalities and confessions are living in a condition of peace, tranquility, mutual understanding and dialogue and tolerant attitude towards peculiarities of different nations, nationalities, religions is the main feature of Azerbaijani mentality.
As his excellency, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan always highlights in his speeches, for us multiculturalism is a state policy and is our lifestyle.
Azerbaijan is the most secular Muslim country with the 96 percent of Muslim population. Thus, building and developing relations with the Islamic world have been among the key priorities of Azerbaijan`s foreign policy in the years of independence. Our country also created bilateral and multilateral cooperation, which serve the expansion of relations with the Muslim world. Elevation of our economic cooperation with Islamic countries to the level of our political relations is one of our primary goals. We attach special importance to the development of mutually fruitful cooperation with the Islamic world in these and all other areas.
All above mentioned values and tolerance have let the celebration of traditions and custom of holidays for all members of societies in Azerbaijan. The holidays are marked by progressive national and moral values, social assistance and kindness becomes a celebration of their feelings, further fueling the spirit of unity and equality in our society strengthens.
Although, religious ceremonies and holidays were also the objects of criticism in the Soviet period, since gaining independence, all holidays became a celebrity days in national level, as Gurban Holiday.
By the law “On holidays of the Republic of Azerbaijan”, approved in 1992, Eid al-Adha has been celebrated in Azerbaijan every year as a public holiday.
The holiday of Gurban (sacrifice) is one of the grandiose holidays of the Islamic world. Two holidays of Islam eydul-ezha (known as Gurban Bayram) and eydul-fitra (Orujlug — the holiday of fasting, a small holiday) are legalized in our country. As the most important surmises of Islam Gurban Bayram is demanded by Koran.
Islam prohibits any kind of human sacrifice and says in the name of Allah that an animal should be sacrificed instead of a human and determined the time of sacrifice giving, as before people did it any time they want. To give the holiday more respect it was determined to celebrate it once a year on the 10th day of Zilhija. This tradition of holiday of Sacrifice is not peculiar only to Islam. The ceremony of sacrifice-giving was the tradition of many peoples of the world much earlier Islam.
Muslims celebrate this event by sharing a slaughtered animal in three parts: one part for themselves, one for their family, and the third part is given to the needy. We can all join in this spirit of sharing on this special day.The holiday is also an opportunity to share abundance and lesson for gratitude in our country. Muslim tradition, practiced on Eid al-Adha, symbolically illustrates the power of sharing by dividing meat into three portions to be eaten by family, friends and those in need. Being conscious of extending what we have beyond our own doors is a wonderful way for anyone to take part in celebrating this holiday.
Today promotion of multiculturalism which is declared as state policy by the head of state and born from the centuries-old cultural life of our people and awareness raising measures there on are adequate answer to the challenges of the state on the one side, on the other side it is protection of moral and cultural treasure of our people which was formed within centuries-long period and its transfers to future generations, because Azerbaijan possesses strong national ideology which contains elements strengthened at the state level such as tolerance and multiculturalism which are state ideology of all ethnos’s.
This year, the liberation of 30 years of occupied territories of Azerbaijan made celebrations of the holy Gurban holiday especially important and gave high spirit for all nations living in Azerbaijan, in particular.
As a logical ending of the abovementioned Azerbaijan has become a prestigious member of international community with the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev. Social and economic development, stability and safety of our country have increased foreign interest to Azerbaijan. Its evidence is creation of positive net migration rate in the number of persons arriving in our republic and intending to reside and become a citizen of Azerbaijan.
