A Shia Majority Under a Secular State

Azerbaijan is a Shia majority country that has organised its religious life to prevent Shia clericalism, and the reason is proximity to Iran. The State Committee for Work with Religious Associations registers communities, approves the appointment of clergy and vets imported religious literature, while the Caucasus Muslim Board, an institution inherited from the imperial and Soviet periods, supervises mosques. Religious education abroad is restricted and foreign trained clergy are barred from leading prayers.

The restrictions apply visibly: the head of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan has been imprisoned, the Juma mosque in Baku's old city was taken from its congregation, and the demolition of mosques for redevelopment has drawn protest. The wearing of the hijab in schools was prohibited in 2010, prompting demonstrations, and the arrests following unrest at Nardaran in 2015, a village known for its religiosity and its shrine, were the sharpest confrontation. Non Muslim minorities have generally had an easier time and are used to illustrate tolerance: the Mountain Jews of Qirmizi Qesebe near Quba form one of the few all Jewish towns outside Israel, Orthodox and Catholic churches operate, and Pope Francis visited in 2016. Jehovah's Witnesses and some Protestant congregations report the same registration and literature problems found across the region.