He highlighted the severe impact of Armenia’s 30-year occupation of Azerbaijani lands, including the deliberate destruction of Islamic cultural heritage. “Azerbaijan is also a country that suffers from Islamophobia,” Aliyev stated, revealing that the initially estimated 65 mosques destroyed have been surpassed as more evidence of vandalism against Islamic heritage surfaces.
The President criticized certain Western institutions and forums, including the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, accusing them of becoming platforms that foster Islamophobia and adopt policies rooted in such ideology. He also pointed out the negative role played by some global media entities in promoting these prejudices.
Aliyev strongly condemned the association of terrorism and extremism with any civilization or ethnic group, deeming it an erroneous approach in the 21st century. “There must be no place for Islamophobia, xenophobia, or racism,” he asserted, arguing that using religion for political ends only leads to societal division and intercivilizational conflicts.
Focusing on France, Aliyev criticized its policies of discrimination and Islamophobia, camouflaged under the guise of secularism. He detailed how legislative and political decisions in France target Muslims, restricting their rights and freedoms, and highlighted the desecration of mosques, Muslim community centers, and cemeteries, alongside the oppression faced by Muslim citizens.
Through his message, President Aliyev called for a unified effort against Islamophobia, emphasizing the importance of embracing diversity and promoting humanism and universal values to prevent intercivilizational conflicts.
