Islamic colleges will be state-owned, M. Gurbanli

Baku / 27.09.18 / Turan: Graduates of secondary schools of Azerbaijan should have knowledge not only about Islam, but also about other religions. To this end, the curriculum will be amended, stated the head of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations (SCWRS) of Azerbaijan Mubariz Gurbanli in an interview with state-run media. At the same time, he noted that work is currently underway to establish Islamic colleges in Baku and the regions of the country. "Negotiations are under way with the Office of Muslims of the Caucasus, after which the colleges will begin to operate under the Institute of Theology. Students who have successfully completed colleges will continue their education at the Theology Institute," Gurbanli said.

It should be noted that the Institute of Theology was established in April 2018 under the SCWRS. It will actually replace the Baku Islamic University under the Caucasus Muslims Office, the admittance to which was stopped this year. Gurbanli's statements that Islamic colleges will function at the Theology Institute confirms the assumptions that the state takes the sphere of religious education under its control, displacing CMO from this sphere. -06D--