Publish date28 Nov 2015 - 10:45
Story Code : 213129

New round of Shia crackdown in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan starts a new round of crackdown on Shia on the eve of Arbaeen ceremonies mourning the martyrdom anniversary of third Shia Imam.
New round of Shia crackdown in Azerbaijan
A week earlier to the mourning ceremonies of Arbaeen, Azerbaijan capital of Baku is witness to martyrdom of four Shia Muslims in a new round of crackdown on the Shia community, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).
 
Azerbaijan security forces attacked a Shia mourning ceremony in the Azeri town of Nardaran, near the capital Baku, killing four mourners and a dozen more injured.
 
According to the reports Nardaran citizens were involved in a defense against the police force, among them Wahhabi members who tried to bring more chaos into the situation by show off gestures.
 
Hujjat-ul-Islam Bagherzadeh, head of the Muslim movement and 16 more Islamic activists were arrested by the police.
 
This is while the majority of those arrested take clear anti-Zionism and anti-Takfiri stances calling for measures against Zionism in the mourning ceremonies.
 
Police and Intelligence Ministry attacks against the Shia cleric and Muslim activists have seen a surge following the visit of Iranian Shia jurisprudent grand Ayatollah Hussein Nouri Hamedani visit to the country and the tribute paid to the cleric by Azeri scholar.
 
Following the meeting, Azerbaijan state television started a wave of propagandas against Islamic unity movement and Shia jurisprudence before the physical attack on Hujjat-ul-Islam Tale’ Bagherzadeh amid his prayers and issuing warnings over the continuation of his activities.
 
Simultaneous with the incidents, head of the religious affairs committee of Azerbaijan issued serious warnings against any religious group which maintains activities without permission, ignoring free activities of Wahhabi and Takfiri groups in the country.
 
Following the threat and in another attack to Nardaran, Hujjat-ul-Islam Hajj Zolfaghar Mikaeelzadeh, was arrested simultaneous with invasions to a Shia mosque in Lankaran.
 
The attacks follow claims on improvement of the ties between Tehran and Baku and also a recent meeting of the manager of Iran bureau in the US Foreign Ministry providing Azeri authorities on the quality of ties with Tehran in a post sanction era.
 
Azeri Ministry of Interior Affairs have issued a statement calling the martyred and arrested Shia as extremists following the recent resignation of Eldar Mahmudov Ahmad oglu, Azerbaijani politician formerly serving as the Minister of National Security of Azerbaijan Republic, which has led to unveiling of moving secrets on the cooperation of the ministry with Wahhabi and Takfiri groups through the media.
 
Also in a visit by Israel’s Chairman of the Parliamentary Group with Azerbaijan Parliament to Baku for supervision over the elections in the country, the Zionist side had expressed satisfaction over the so-called freedom of religions in Azerbaijan.
 
This is while the election had been boycotted by a majority of Islamic and non-Islamic parties and the majority of participants were among the ruling government affiliates.
 
The first round of crackdown on Shia community in Azerbaijan started in 2010 simultaneous with Hijab bans and detention of the head of Islamic party.
 
More than 85 percent of the nine million population in the Republic of Azerbaijan are Shia.
https://taghribnews.com/vdchixniw23nzzd.01t2.html
Your Name
Your Email Address
Security Code