WEBSITE LOOKS AT ANTI-AZERI ACTIVITIES BY IRAN
Day.az, Azerbaijan
Jan 9 2007
Iran is not a friendly state to Azerbaijan, the Day.az website
argues. The article cites cases of provocation by Iran, attempts to
draw Azerbaijan into Muslim-Christian confrontation, espionage in
Azerbaijan and Iran’s partnership with Armenia as proving Iran’s
unfriendly attitude. Following is an article entitled "Southern
neighbour’s overt and covert games" posted by Emil Quliyev on the
Day.az website on 9 January 2007. Subheadings have been inserted
editorially:
"Top-level provocation"
Current processes in the world, especially conflicts are linked to
religion one way or another. It is people’s religious denomination
and sentiments that are used as their main weapons by strategists
whose advice plays a decisive role in this confrontation. Both the
Christian West and the Muslim East use this weapon.
On the very first day of restoring its independence, Azerbaijan
declared separation between the state and religion and its goal to
build a secular state. Despite this fact, processes involving religious
confrontation do not leave us unaffected. It is not because absolute
majority of our citizens are Muslims, a religion that western circles
overtly or covertly associate with terrorism.
(Suffice it to look at the debate in the USA over the swearing in of
the first Muslim congressman.) In actual fact whenever the issue of
religion arises in Azerbaijan, the name of Iran somehow comes to the
surface, a theocratic state in the full meaning of the word.
It is common knowledge that Iran was one of the first state after
Russia to seek full control over Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. To
characterize the plans of our northern and southern neighbours
in general terms, neither of the two states wanted a sovereign
Azerbaijan, each viewing it as one of their provinces. But now the
times have changed since the early 1990s. Azerbaijan has consolidated
its statehood and become a state having its say in the region. Yet it
does not mean that there is no danger anymore. Maybe it is just on the
contrary. Currently we can see ever more obvious efforts to involve
Azerbaijan in religious confrontation in the world. Iran is again in
the lead here as well as religious organizations in Azerbaijan which
are somehow linked to that country.
Speaking in official terms, relations between Azerbaijan and Iran
are friendly and brotherly. Yet it is known that the language of
protocols is quite often far from real life. It may be said that
the anti-Azerbaijan trend in Iran could be described as a state
policy being implemented by various methods ranging from "mishaps"
during Azerbaijani leaders’ visits to Iran to spy games reported in
the press now and again.
Overall, provocation against Azerbaijan, both at the level of
officials and special services, are being done in a gross, clumsy
and unprofessional way, if one may put it this way.
Suffice it to recall visits by Azerbaijan’s presidents to Iran. If
Heydar Aliyev had not interrupted the Iranian president’s opening
speech he would have continued to call the Caspian Sea "Lake
Mazandaran". Or recall another provocation during Ilham Aliyev’s visit
when the national colours of the Azerbaijani flag were turned upside
down. It is impossible to see such things in any other state.
Such unambiguous provocation remind of mischievous schoolchildren
snatching a cap off the head of a classmate they dislike and running
away to make fun of him. By all accounts there is no common sense
about such conduct of the Iranian side. In this case an attempt to
insult the president of a state automatically means insulting the
state he leads. The Azerbaijani leaders acted wisely: they did not
to focus attention on those things not to sink to the level of their
Iranian counterparts.
Drawing Azerbaijan into cartoon scandal
Those are top-level provocation. Apart from them there are multiple
cases of special services operations: recruiting Azerbaijani citizens,
influence on individual media, politicians, public figures and
non-governmental organizations especially of a religious nature.
Cited by way of example may be information run by Ayna newspaper some
time ago. Thus for instance the newspaper carried a report citing
judicial sources that an Iranian national Ramin Shahamati has been
sentenced to 11 years by a court for grave crimes for espionage
in Azerbaijan. Having completed studies at a higher educational
institution in Azerbaijan, Shakhameti got a job with an association
of migrants from Iran in Baku. He repeatedly delivered intelligence
from Azerbaijan under the assumed name of Rahim Shahabi. He pleaded
guilty on all charges in court.
This is just one of the latest facts confirmed by court proceedings.
There are certainly many other cases of espionage in Azerbaijan which
have not transpired into the press.
Azerbaijan saw two significant events in 2006 associated with Iran
in one way or another. At the very height of the worldwide cartoon
scandal, an obscure Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Xabar ran a cartoon
insulting Jesus Christ and the Holy Virgin. It is noteworthy that the
cartoon would have been left unnoticed if it had not been for the
reaction to it of the Iranian embassy in Azerbaijan. The allegedly
condemning statement by the Iranian embassy instantly got Azerbaijan
involved in the worldwide cartoon scandal but in a different aspect.
Oddly enough, no-one inquired how the Iranian embassy could have
learned about there being Yeni Xabar newspaper given that even the
most active newspaper readers had no idea about it.
The same holds true for the now well-known newspaper Sanat which
ran an article by Rafiq Tagi insulting Prophet Muhammad. The same
question suggests itself: who was the first to respond to the article
thereby making publicity for the biweekly which remained unknown even
to most journalists until that notorious article appeared. One may
only suppose that insults levelled against the prophets were ordered
by those whose responses came first or forces behind them.
The goal is as simple as treacherous: first, to involve in religious
confrontation Azerbaijan which is renowned for its tolerance;
second, to besmirch our state in the opinion of the multimillion
Muslim world. The gist is not in "condemning" statements but in the
consequences. Advertising by statements condemning those newspapers
and article published in them was more dangerous than the emergence of
articles themselves. The leaders of well-known Azerbaijani newspaper
would never have agreed to publish that article. Only newspapers
like the above said excellently fit the purpose. But how could that
article be brought into the public eye? That was the purpose of the
condemning statement. Otherwise the newspapers Yeni Xabar and Sanat
would have been left unread on news-stands and no-one would ever have
known about those articles except five or six people.
The statements were designed just to draw the public attention to
an obscure newspaper and an article run by it to further manipulate
public opinion. Recall that multiple rallies and pickets of "indignant"
Muslims were organized outside Azerbaijan’s diplomatic missions in
Tehran immediately after that.
Death sentence on Azerbaijani citizen
Yet provocation did not stop at that. It is already known that fatwah
has been passed to kill Rafiq Tagi [author of the article which
is believed to insult Prophet Muhammad]. It is indeed an outrageous
fact. One state living by its own laws has decided to execute a person
living in another state having quite different legislation.
International law has another term to define this: terrorism. If Tagi
were an Iranian citizen, it would be clear that the above decision
might be put into effect in compliance with standards accepted
in that state. Yet if such a decision is taken with regard to a
citizen of another state, it implies terrorist actions. Of course,
special services must be involved in accomplishing that mission. This
particular chain creates an air of mistrust towards Iran.
Let it be recalled that a meeting of Azerbaijan’s parliament has
voiced concern about the said fatwah. Yet the position of Iranian
ambassador to Azerbaijan Afshar Soleymani turned out strange.
Forgetting that the above decision of Iran to kill a citizen of
our country encroaches on security inside another state, he said in
an interview with journalists that his "education is inadequate to
comment on such a decision". It should be recalled that it is a matter
of respect for the sovereignty of the state to which he is ambassador
rather than education. It calls to memory the murder of the well-known
Academician Ziya Bunyadov. A theory about the involvement of Iranian
special services in his death emerged immediately after his death
because a similar fatwah had been passed on him.
Spy recruitment and training
Representatives of non-governmental organizations [NGO] exploring
the problem of terrorism and threats coming from the south point out
that Iran’s special services are too active in the southern regions
of Azerbaijan where they are intensively recruiting people. A lot of
facts provide proof, albeit indirect, to this. These involve attempts
to smuggle contraband and drugs into Azerbaijani territory exposed
by our law-enforcement bodies. The Azerbaijani citizens detained in
those operations were questioned and each of them said they had got
that stuff from a specific Iranian national who stayed on the other
side of the border. We can just guess that most people referred to
by the Azerbaijanis representatives of special services trying by
various means to net residents of southern regions.
In this context the special schools on the Isle of Qom [as given]
in Iran is no secret to anyone long since. Azerbaijani trainees are
not only offered lessons in religion but also some other things that
may come in handy in spying activity. Citing NGOs specializing in the
study of terrorism and espionage, it may be said that, according to
unofficial data, concerned circles in Iran do not miss opportunities
to fund non-traditional Christian movements in Azerbaijan. The reason
is one and the same: to achieve their goals when the right moment
comes by activating their established networks.
Iran’s relations with Armenia
However it is neither spy games being played secretly or openly on
the territory of our state nor even fatwah passed on our citizen that
constitute the main argument in the debate whether or not Iran is
a friendly state for Azerbaijan. Overt partnership with Armenia put
paid to this argument. Having no trade relations with Azerbaijan and
Turkey and given the hard economic situation in the state, Armenia
would be unable to endure so long without it. No counter arguments
can disprove the truth that a state declaring Muslim solidarity is
rescuing from defeat on all fronts a state having the support of the
West, in particular, global centres and forces largely involving the
factor of religion.
The essence of dislike, provocation and spy games by our southern
neighbour is clear: Iran never wanted to see Azerbaijan as a
strong state capable of defending itself and settle its problems
independently. Unclear are the reasons of our citizens dancing to
the pipe of agents from that state.
How can one feel morally happy and live with easy conscience knowing
that acting to orders from another state they harm their own state.