US newspaper publishes article about Azerbaijan's inspiring story of religious harmony

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has recently received a notification of the Azerbaijani government about the successful completion of the process of its official registration in the country, Report informs citing an article in the US newspaper Deseret News. This recognition, which has been in progress since the latter half of 2023, allows the church to establish an officially recognized body to represent its interests in the Baku area, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan, a nation known for its rich history of religious tolerance, is home to a diverse array of faiths. According to a 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom by the US government, the country had 993 registered religious communities by early 2023, including 956 Muslim, 26 Christian, eight Jewish, two Baha'i, and one ISKCON (Hare Krishna) communities. The nation boasts an impressive 2,253 mosques, 16 churches, 26 Christian "prayer houses," seven synagogues, and 10 religious education institutions.

Azerbaijan has a unique history of religious tolerance, including towards its Jewish population. Jews have called Azerbaijan home for over 2,500 years, with an estimated 12,000 Jews currently residing in the country. Remarkably, Azerbaijan is home to the only Jewish-majority town outside of Israel and the United States.

Christians make up between 3.1% and 4.8% of Azerbaijan's population, with an estimated 280,000-450,000 adherents. The majority of Christians in Azerbaijan belong to the Russian Orthodox, Georgian Orthodox, or Armenian Apostolic churches, with smaller Catholic and Protestant communities. A small group of Latter-day Saints also meets regularly in the capital city.

Despite having a population that is 97% Muslim, Azerbaijan is considered one of the secular Muslim-majority countries. The Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, established in 1995, protects religious freedom, stating that "everyone has the right to freedom of conscience" and "to freely determine his own approach to religion, to profess individually or together with others any religion or to profess no religion, and to express and disseminate his beliefs concerning his approach to religion."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been actively involved in humanitarian efforts in Azerbaijan since 1997, providing relief aid, wheelchairs, clean water, and education projects to various communities. Over the past 26 years, Latter-day Saints have supported more than 70 humanitarian projects in the country, sometimes in partnership with other organizations like the Stirling Foundation.

In recent years, the relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Azerbaijani officials and religious leaders has grown more direct, respectful, and cordial. The church has actively sought to highlight the commonalities between Latter-day Saints and Muslims, as evidenced by the 2022 pamphlet "Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyles."

After Azerbaijan approved the official registration of the Church of Jesus Christ, Elder Jack N. Gerard, a General Authority Seventy, said, "President Aliyev, Chairman Mammadov, Sheikh ul-Islam and many others were instrumental in this wonderful outcome for the church and their actions show that together we can all promote harmony, regardless of religion or cultural background."