The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the US State Department acknowledge their weak basis for criticism of religious freedom in Azerbaijan, Prof. Brenda Shaffer, a faculty member of the US Naval Postgraduate School, noted in an interview, according to Azerbaijan in Focus, reporting Trend.
“USCIRF and the Department of State stopped publishing their reports with footnotes since they know that the weak basis for their claims could open them up to legitimate criticism. The latest report on Azerbaijan, for instance, where it does quote sources, refers to the Soros-funded Eurasianet, and the Forum 18, a murky group registered in Denmark. Both are biased,” she said.
According to Prof. Shaffer, for most of the past decade, the USCIRF has recommended to the US Department of State to designate Azerbaijan and the states of Central Asia to be included on its Special Watch List for violations of religious freedom.
“Over the years, some of the Central Asian states have also appeared on USCIRF’s Countries of Particular Concern, which is a more severe designation. USCIRF and consequently the State Department’s focus on Azerbaijan and Central Asia is of course nonsensical. These countries are of course exceptionally welcoming to religious and ethnic minorities. In contrast to most Muslim-majority countries, Azerbaijan and the Central Asian states not only allow freedom of religion, but freedom from religion, and protects the secular from religious coercion. For instance, in many reports over the year, USCIRF and the State Department criticized Azerbaijan for not allowing girls to be covered with hijab in public schools. In contrast, Azerbaijan sees this policy as protecting young girls from potential religious coercion,” she pointed out.
Brenda Shaffer rightly noted that Azerbaijan, as well as Central Asia, have succeded in protecting themselves from violence and terrorist attacks.
“Every year, in its criticism of Azerbaijan and Central Asia, USCIRF routinely advocates for the rights of Islamic extremists, that have used violence. Most of these they advocate for are funded and connected to Iran. For instance, each year the report discusses the Muslim Unity Movement that has conducted terrorist attacks in Azerbaijan, including killing two policemen. In recent months, Iran has been wreaking havoc across half the Middle East – Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iraq. In contrast, the governments in Azerbaijan and Central Asia have been successful in protecting their publics from Iran’s destabilization and violence. I am sure that the people of Azerbaijan and in Central Asia are happy about these policies. Washington really does get it,” the expert explained.
The current report on religious concerns in Azerbaijan is also sloppy and full of contradictions, Prof. Shaffer noted.
“For instance, the report raises concerns about Armenian Churches in Karabakh, yet it refers to the October 2023 United States report that it ‘saw no damage…to cultural or religious structures’ in Karabakh. The USCIRF report has many inaccuracies, including it mentions that 100,000 Armenians lived in Karabakh prior to the September 2023 anti-terrorism operations. This is not correct. At most, 55,000 Armenians were living in Karabakh in September 2023. Of them, 12,000 were soldiers from Armenia, not local Armenians. With their families, the contingent from Armenia itself numbered close to 30,000. Baku allowed them to depart in civilian clothes if they agreed to lay down their arms,” she said.
Further speaking, Prof. Shaffer added that Azerbaijan is home to many other religious communities, despite being a Muslim-majority country.
“Azerbaijan is home to many Christian communities. Azerbaijani Christians were among Azerbaijan’s fighters in the 2020 war, as they identify strongly with their homeland. Azerbaijan is also home to the largest Jewish community in the Muslim world. This community expresses that not only is it safe and free in Azerbaijan, but that the state gives conditions for this community to prosper. If USCIRF and the US Department had their way, and Iran-funded Islamic extremists were able to operate freely in Azerbaijan, these communities would be in danger,” Brenda Shaffer concluded.
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