A/59/366
7.
In accordance with the rules governing her mandate, the Special Rapporteur
wishes to clarify that the communications sent within the past two months are not
summarized in the present report since the time limit given for answers from the
States concerned has not expired.
Azerbaijan
8.
On 12 March 2004, the Special Rapporteur sent to the Government of
Azerbaijan information according to which Azeri authorities had ordered Muslims
in Baku to leave the Juma mosque. Mr. Nubaris Kuliev of the city administration
allegedly told the mosque leaders on 15 January 2004 that the Muslim community
had to leave the mosque within 15 days and hand it over to the “appropriate
authorities”. It was also reported that the mosque’s imam, Ilgar Ibrahimoglu
Allahverdiev, had been repeatedly detained by local authorities.
9.
On 29 March 2004, the Special Rapporteur sent additional information on the
Juma mosque. In the wake of a court decision of 1 March 2004 to expel them from
their place of worship, members of the Juma mosque were allegedly warned by a
court official that they would be evicted by force.
10. By letter of 9 August 2004, the Government of Azerbaijan responded that the
building housing the Juma mosque had served as the State Carpet Museum between
1968 and 1992. In 1992, the building was seized by Azar Ramiz ogly Samadov and
Ilqar Ibrahim ogly Allahverdiyev (Ilgar Ibrahimoglu Allahverdiev in the
communication), but no application had ever been made to the Board of Muslims of
the Caucasus, the body that is legally competent to authorize the use of certain
buildings as a place of worship. The Board then appointed a new imam for the
mosque, which does not restrict the freedom of conscience of those who worship in
this mosque.
11. The Government added that, after returning from studying in the Islamic
Republic of Iran, llqar Allahverdiyev engaged in activities with the “Islam Ittihad”
community, made statements against the secular regime of Azerbaijan and
advocated an Islamic revolution. On 2 April 2004, a court sentenced him to five
years’ imprisonment for acts of violence, pogroms and destruction of property
committed on 15 and 16 October 2004. The court suspended the sentence for five
years.
Bangladesh
12. On 15 March 2004, the Special Rapporteur sent to the Government of
Bangladesh information according to which on 8 January 2004, the Ministry of the
Interior had decided to ban “the sale, publication, distribution and possession of all
books and booklets on Islam published by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat,
Bangladesh, which includes the Bengali or any other translation (with explanation)
of the ‘Quran Majid’”. The reason allegedly invoked for this decision was that these
publications contain “objectionable materials ... which hurt or might hurt the
sentiments of the majority Muslim population of Bangladesh”, but reports indicate
that the decision was taken in the context of an intensifying campaign by certain
religious groups demanding the enactment of a law declaring the Ahmadiyyas as
non-Muslims. The Ahmadiyya community in Bangladesh had also reportedly been
subjected to repeated assaults on its mosques and on individual members.
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