Devotees of freedom in Azerbaijan must be psychologically prepared for the arrest, since dissidents are jailed, said in an interview with the radio "Voice of America" the former "prisoner of conscience", a theologian Thale Bagirzade. "The situation in Azerbaijan is depressing. The authorities are putting pressure for freedom of speech, thoughts, beliefs of people. Therefore, those who have own opinion, must be psychologically prepared to arrest," he said. However, this policy of the authorities leads to a paradox: in prison carriers of ideas become morally stronger, are sure of their rightness, and influence other prisoners. Even the staff of jail respects the convicted for political reasons, whether Islamists or civil society activists.
"Jails in Azerbaijan have become brain centers, as there are a lot of thinking people. This is possible only under abnormal regimes. I believe that the "prisoners of conscience," which is now in prisons will save the country from a totalitarian regime, and will rebuild a free society," said Bagirzade.
Asking the question on his future work, Bagirzadeh replied: "I believe that a politician can be a theologian, and a politician be theologian. The belief that religion should be separated from politics is wrong. If you look at the history of Islam, until the 19th century in Azerbaijan was applied Islamic law," said the theologian.
Therefore, he plans to operate within the Muslim religious movement in Azerbaijan established on January 13, 2015, which aims to protect national and spiritual values based on Islamic ideology.
Speaking about the religious situation in the country, he regretted that there are many clerics with remnants of Soviet mentality, and in the relationship between state and religion there is a big gap.
"Even in the democratic states of the West, women can appear in headscarf on the passport, but ion our country it is banned. Since 2010 there is a ban on the hijab at schools. Believers do not believe in the respect for religion declared by the state.
Today, the people do not believe the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations nor the Office of Caucasus Muslims, since they are the conductors of the state policy and will never defend the truth," he said.
Reforms are needed in this area, and if the authorities do not agree to reform, the result will be bad, the theologian summed up.
* Thale Bagirzade was arrested on March 31, 2013 on charges of drug trafficking and sentenced to two years. Later the sentence was increased to four months. On 31 July, 2015 he was released. The real reason for the arrest of Bagirzade, according to human rights advocates and religious activists, became his sharp criticism of government policies. -06D-
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