Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07BAKU1043
2007-08-21 12:58:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Baku
Cable title:  

ISLAM IN AZERBAIJAN: A LOOK AT SHIA VILLAGES ON

Tags:  PREL PGOV PHUM KISL IR AJ 
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INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 2300
RUEHDIR/IRAN RPO DUBAI PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BAKU 001043 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/CARC; NEA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KISL IR AJ
SUBJECT: ISLAM IN AZERBAIJAN: A LOOK AT SHIA VILLAGES ON
THE ABSHERON PENINSULA

REF: A. BAKU 00711

B. BAKU 00451

BAKU 00001043 001.2 OF 004


Classified By: Ambassador Anne Derse for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 BAKU 001043

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

FOR EUR/CARC; NEA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/21/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KISL IR AJ
SUBJECT: ISLAM IN AZERBAIJAN: A LOOK AT SHIA VILLAGES ON
THE ABSHERON PENINSULA

REF: A. BAKU 00711

B. BAKU 00451

BAKU 00001043 001.2 OF 004


Classified By: Ambassador Anne Derse for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) Summary: An August 17 trip to several conservative
villages on the Absheron Peninsula revealed small, insular
communities with conservative social and religious
traditions, and a strong skepticism of the GOAJ-controlled
Caucasus Muslim Board. The communities, religious practices
-- like most Shia communities in Azerbaijan -- focused around
shrines commemorating local saints. A local cleric, who
studied for ten years in Qom, Iran, appeared to have a
genuine religious following, in contrast to the majority of
GOAJ-appointed prayer leaders who often are regarded as
ill-educated. A seemingly well-connected Islamic political
activist predicted that an Islamic political movement may
emerge in the run-up to the 2008 Presidential election.
Iran,s influence in these villages appears to be selectively
and indirectly important in a handful of these communities,
primarily through Azerbaijani clerics who were educated in
Iran. End Summary.


2. (SBU) During a trip to several Absheron Peninsula
villages, Emboffs met with local Islamic figures and visited
several mosques and holy places ("pirs"). These smaller
towns on the Absheron Peninsula generally are regarded as
some of the most conservative Shia communities in Azerbaijan.
Emboffs visited Buzovna, Shuvalan, Mardakan, and Zabrat.
(NOTE: Mashtaga and Nardaran are regarded as some of the
most conservative Absheron villages. We will visit and
report on these communities separately.) This cable is part
of our "regional Islamic snapshots" series (ref A),which
seeks to provide greater insight into the diversity of
Islamic practice in Azerbaijan.

Local Community Matters
--------------


3. (C) A constant of Azerbaijani village life is that local
connections and initiative move at a faster pace than the
central government. In Buzovna, two local contacts (Haci

Shunasi Mammadyarov and Molla Sadiq),who are respected
religious leaders, proudly showed us several mosques and a
mausoleum that were being refurbished or under construction.
When asked about the funding for these improvements, both
contacts stated that the local community provided all of the
money. Asked if the Caucasus Muslim Board (CMB) provided any
funding, they responded with a note of disdain that the CMB
"provides nothing." While shuttling us through these sites,
we met an Azeri Iranian who is overseeing the remodeling
project at one of the mosques. The Iranian, who was at ease
in Azerbaijani, appeared pleased to meet an American diplomat
and took pride in showing off his handiwork. The Iranian
explained that while he lived in Tabriz, his uncle had moved
from northern Iran to Buzovna in the 1940s. As this chance
encounter demonstrates, familial and cross-border links play
a role in every-day life in Azerbaijan.


4. (C) We also had lunch with a local akhund (prayer leader)
and several local believers in Buzovna. The believers
genuinely appeared to respect the cleric because of his
education, which appeared to supersede the average akhund's
education. (COMMENT: Our discussions with the Islamic
community and analysts indicate that, in general, the
Azerbaijani public has limited respect for the
state-appointed akhunds because they are perceived to be
poorly educated. Akhunds who were educated abroad or studied
diligently while in Azerbaijan often are viewed with greater
respect.) When asked about his background, the akhund said
that he studied for ten years in Qom, Iran. (The akhund also
noted that the GOAJ keeps careful watch on foreign-educated
clerics, a point GOAJ officials also regularly make.) One of
the participants even joked that the akhund had much more
schooling than the head of the CMB, Sheikh Pashazade.


5. (SBU) After lunch, Emboffs attended Friday prayers at one
of the Buzovna mosques. The prayers were led by the
Qom-trained akhund. There were approximately 75 worshippers,
a mix of Sunni and Shia. The majority of participants were
able to say the prayers in Arabic.

Holy Sites are Popular

BAKU 00001043 002.2 OF 004


--------------


6. (U) Visiting pirs that commemorate a local saint is a key
aspect of Islamic practice in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijanis
often go to these sites to pray and tap into the powers
associated with these local holy men. Many Azerbaijanis
assign equal or greater importance to visiting shrines than
the more established, institutional practice of praying in
the mosque. Pirs are particularly important for Azerbaijan's
Shia community and a good gauge for understanding popular
Islamic attitudes.


7. (SBU) In Shuvalan village, we visited the Mir Movsum
Aghanin Ziyaratgahi pir. This mausoleum is dedicated to a
local holy man, Agha Mir Movsum, who was revered for his
healing powers. The pir was a classic Efsahan or Bukhara
design, with a blue-tiled exterior and ornately decorated
interior. Inside the mausoleum, locals circle the grave of
Agah Mir Movsum and make a personal wish. This is one of the
busiest shrines in Azerbaijan, with a steady stream of locals
coming with their families. Emboffs estimated that several
dozen believers came every ten minutes on a Friday afternoon.
While women are required to wear a headscarf inside the
shrine, the majority of women relied on a local staff member
to provide them with the proper attire. This snapshot of
families coming together to make a wish at the grave of a
local holy man is a phenomenon that can be found throughout
Azerbaijan and may in fact reflect the most common religious
practice here.


8. (SBU) Local Islamic scholar Aysel Vazirova told us this
shrine's significance stems from at least two aspects.
First, indigenous Azerbaijani Shiism places a deep respect on
local saints, vice the more formal clerical hierarchy. This
is particularly true in the regions of Azerbaijan. Second,
Agah Mir Movsum's physical deformity appeals to the Shia
emphasis on suffering. Vazirova explained that in the
popular imagination, Movsum's physical suffering brought him
closer to Allah, thereby granting him healing powers.


9. (SBU) Emboffs also visited Ali Ayagi pir in Buzovna.
This pir commemorates the footprint of Imam Ali. Only
several locals came to the pir while we received a tour from
a local staff member. The cigarette-smoking guide carefully
explained the history of the shrine, suggesting that the most
important aspect of the shrine was that Ali had spiritually
visited the site.

Smashing Your Worries Away
--------------


10. (SBU) Our contacts in Buzovna took us to Tarsane, the
crumbling walls of a church built by the Nobel brothers at
the turn of the 20th Century. The grounds were littered with
broken glass bottles. There were thousand glass shards, with
several inches of glass covering the ground. The local
contacts explained that this was a special religious site
where locals came to get rid of "nervousness." The nervous
Azerbaijani could come to this site, mutter a few words, and
then have a bottle smashed against the wall. Upon hearing
the crash, the nervousness, fear, or worry were supposed to
jump out of the practitioner. Feeling confident in the good
graces of our local contacts, Emboffs felt no need to put
this ritual to the test. Asked if this was a uniquely Shia
ritual, Molla Sadiq explained that this was a Caucasus
tradition that all ethnic groups and religious confessions
believed.

Shia Activist Wants Islam to Shape Politics
--------------


11. (C) We met with a local Islamic political activist, Haci
Mehdi, in a small mosque in Zabrat village. Mehdi joked that
Sheikh Pashazade and the CMB had limited control over this
particular mosque. There was a poster of an Iranian or Iraqi
Ayatollah in a classroom attached to the mosque. Mehdi
presented Emboffs with prayer beads that Iraqi Ayatollah
Sistani reportedly had sent to this community. Commenting on
his personal background, Mehdi explained that he was the
former chief of the Azerbaijani Islamic Party in the late
1990s. Mehdi observed that since its inception in the early
1990s, the GOAJ and the Iranian government each sought to
control this party. Over time, both governmental actors were

BAKU 00001043 003.2 OF 004


partly successful in this endeavor, according to Mehdi. He
stated that he left the party in 1999 because he thought the
party was internally divided and losing steam. When asked
about recent local press reports that the Islamic Party had
elected a new chairman (Movsum Samadov),Mehdi said that
Samadov was a weak leader and probably coopted by the GOAJ.


12. (C) Mehdi also noted that he participated in the
founding congress of the Islamic Renaissance Party in
Astrakhan, Russia in 1990. He claimed that as a youth, he
was inspired by his family's staunch opposition to the
communist party's atheism. As the USSR was dissolving, he
networked with a number of Islamic activists who created
Islamic parties and movements in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and
Chechnya. (COMMENT: While we cannot confirm the precise
role Mehdi may have played in helping to create these Islamic
movements, there was a network of Islamic activists that
created national Islamic parties as the Soviet Union was
falling apart. Many of these individuals came from the
Caucasus, Central Asia, and some majority-Muslim areas of
Russia. Springing from the 1990 Astrakhan conference of the
Islamic Renaissance Party, several national branches of the
party were created.)


13. (C) Turning to the current political situation in
Azerbaijan, Mehdi predicted that an Islamic movement with
political ambitions would emerge in the next few months.
Mehdi suggested he was part of a broad, informal network of
people who looked to the 2008 Presidential election as an
opportunity to enhance the role of Islam in the Azerbaijani
political system. Mehdi criticized the Iranian political
system and referred to himself as an Azerbaijani patriot,
while arguing that the Islamic value of justice needed to
have more of a shaping role in the current Azerbaijani
political system. (COMMENT: While we we are still assessing
the veracity of Mehdi's claim that an Islamic political
movement would emerge in the near future, a variety of
political actors and commentators have made this claim over
the years. Based on his prior position in the Azerbaijani
Islamic party and apparent connection to Shia activist Ilgar
Ibrahimoglu -- who called Mehdi during our meeting -- we
believe Mehdi is plugged into a network of Azerbaijani
Islamic activists. Septel will offer our assessment of the
role of Islam in the 2008 Presidential election.)


14. (C) Mehdi also predicted, based on his unspecified
sources, that the GOAJ would launch a "provocation" in
Nardaran, most likely during the winter. Mehdi said that the
GOAJ seeks to show Western countries that it has a
"fundamentalist problem" in advance of the 2008 Presidential
election. Mehdi argued that recent press reports on tensions
between Nardaran locals and rich Bakuvian dacha owners was
part of a GOAJ effort to raise tensions. While there are
genuine tensions between local Nardaran residents and rich
outsiders, Mehdi stated that the GOAJ seeks to escalate these
tensions, a claim which we will also examine. (COMMENT:
Nardaran and surrounding villages are undergoing a
transformation, as rich Baku residents are building lavish
summer homes in the midst of traditionally closed and
conservative communities. The press has focused on this
story in recent months.)

Comment
--------------


15. (C) As these and ref A snapshots demonstrate, Islamic
practice and observance in Azerbaijan is far from monolithic.
These Absheron villages are small, self-contained
communities with a long tradition of conservative social and
religious practices. Even several dozen miles from the
capital, one can sense that the CMB has little religious
authority among locals, as we heard in several of the locals'
derogatory comments about the CMB or the Sheikh.


16. (C) Commentators have speculated on the degree to which
Iran may influence these small Shia communities. As our
chance encounters with an Iranian citizen and an
Iranian-educated akhund demonstrate, Iran has a presence in
these communities. Based on our impressions -- as well as
the careful watch that the GOAJ keeps on Nardaran and
surrounding villages -- Iran's influence in these
communities seems to be primarily of an indirect nature:
Azerbaijani clerics who have studied in Qom, Meshhad, or

BAKU 00001043 004.2 OF 004


other Shia learning centers and Iranian cultural centers (ref
B),vice direct influence by Iranian clerics or Iranian
security agents having a free hand to stir religious
passions. On balance, we believe Iran's indirect influence
may be selectively important in a handful of local
communities or mosques. Anecdotal evidence indicates that
Iran,s influence is greatest in the network of Azerbaijan's
underground mosques, a religious community we have not yet
been able to meet.
DERSE