Aliyev Accuses Armenians of Islamophobia, Inciting Religious Hatred with False Facts Alongside Ethnic Hatred: Ombudsman

In a message on September 27, the President of Azerbaijan has added religious animosity to ethnic hatred, a message based on blatant falsehoods. In his address on the proclaimed “Day of Remembrance,” Azerbaijan's president explicitly incites religious animosity alongside ethnic hatred and employs false facts.

Specifically, by distorting the facts, he claims: “In semi-ruined mosques, the vile enemy kept animals—cows and pigs—to insult us and all Muslims in the world. I am confident that Muslims around the world will respond appropriately. I receive letters about this issue from many Muslim countries. We will inform the entire world about the Armenian atrocities and Armenian fascism. Our victory is a victory over Armenian fascism.” He then speaks of supposed Islamophobia established in Armenia.

All this is an outright fabrication, based on unrealistic data. If Armenians have Islamophobia, then how is it possible that there is an operational mosque in the center of Yerevan, while the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Baku has been desecrated, turned into a library storage, with the cross removed from the dome, and gravestones destroyed that were next to the church?

If there is Islamophobia in Armenia and Artsakh, how could the Upper and Lower mosques in Shushi remain standing and preserved, for instance, when the Upper mosque and the medrese (the spiritual school) were completely renovated? Moreover, how to explain the shelling and desecration of the St. Savior Ghazanchetsots and the Green Hour Church by Azerbaijani armed forces after the recent war, or the destruction of the Holy Mother of God Church in Mekhakavan or the desecration of the Holy Yeghishe Church in Mataghis, along with the destruction of Armenian khachkars in Shushi and Hadrut, etc.?

Or how is it that Armenians live as friends with many people of the Islamic faith for centuries? It is evident that we are actually dealing with open hatred and enmity towards Christianity. In the September 27 message, the President of Azerbaijan states: “Hatred towards Azerbaijanis has been established as an official ideology there [in Armenia].” These words are also blatant fabrications, based on invented stories.

The president of Azerbaijan again calls the entire Armenian people fascists and allows himself humiliating remarks. Yet his and other speeches openly prove that he is the one promoting fascist ideas; he is the one inciting religious hatred towards Christianity.

As the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, I confidently assure the entire international community that no authority or government of the Republic of Armenia has ever pursued a policy of fostering hatred or animosity against the people of Azerbaijan. A policy of tolerance and respect towards other religions, including Islam, has always been followed, starting from school curricula.

The Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia has singled out portions of the Azerbaijani president's speech that incite ethnic and religious hatred and animosity. Both Armenian and English versions of these parts are being sent to international organizations, target locations, as well as to the National Assembly of Armenia, executive authorities, law enforcement agencies, and NGOs.

The Office of the Human Rights Defender thoroughly analyzes all materials from primary sources in Azerbaijani. The study demonstrates that these speeches and messages generate hatred against the entire Armenian people and the population of Armenia and Artsakh, reaching the level of fascism.

There is a clear causal link between these and the torture of Armenian servicemen and civilians by Azerbaijani armed forces, as well as the atrocities against civilian settlements and churches and gross violations of the rights of the population along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

The Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia carries out all of this with the aim of preventing violations and rectifying them. Such Azerbaijani policies, which encourage hatred and genocide against Armenians at the state level, seriously endanger people's peaceful life and security, as well as the prospects for peaceful coexistence of the two peoples.

Arman Tatoyan
Human Rights Defender of Armenia