CONTEMPORARY EURASIA VOLUME VII (1, 2) Contemporary-Eurasia-3new | Page 153

KRISTINE MARGARYAN
Islam. Its aim was, as other objects of Iranian infl uence, to export the Is-
lamic revolution, its principles into neighboring Azerbaijan. Some mem-
bers of IPA were even accused of spying for Iran, which led to declare the
party unconstitutional, accusing it of mixing religion and politics, which
contradicts the secular legacy of Azerbaijan. 36 Accordingly, the party re-
fused to get registration in 1995 and its leaders were arrested. Scholars
claim that IPA explicitly called for the Islamic state’s establishment due
to its promotion of the governance based on Sharia law and anti-West-
ern ideology, and attempted to bring religion into politics of Azerbaijan.
IPA usually used anti-Armenian rhetoric and even advocated for Na-
gorno-Karabagh confl ict solution militarily. 37 Although IPA was consid-
ered as a strong means for promotion of Iranian revolution, it failed to mo-
bilize the population and did not have mass followers. 38 However, besides
party’s weaknesses it succeeded in a certain extent. Due to its activities
and propaganda, Islamic ideology became more visible in the state and
many women, for example, started to dress following Islamic traditions.
Some claim that the dissolution of IPA party can be considered as an
end to Iranian infl uence in Azerbaijan and nowadays “Iran has no signifi -
cant religious infl uence in Azerbaijan”. 39 According to them, much great-
er danger comes from Salafi sm/Wahhabism movement. Geybullayeva
states that although Salafi sm nowadays constitute signifi cant danger, Ira-
nian infl uence and Iranian version of radical Islam should not be underes-
timated. 40
North Caucasus and Middle East infl uence: Salafi sm/Wahhabism
Salafi sm posits a Sunni “threat” in Azerbaijan. According to Sar-
gis Grigoryan, the increasing number of Sunnis is one of the reasons of
radicalization of the society, as they are more inclined to fundamentalist
radical ideas. 41 While the South of Azerbaijan is considered as a territo-
ry of Shia Muslims, Sunnis are mostly present in the North and Baku.
Here concentrated Salafi sts/Wahhabis are seen as radical branch of Sun-
ni Islam, which are supported by Gulf countries and North Caucasus. Al-
though two notions are not very much the same, literature uses them in-
36
37
38
39
40
41
European Foundation for Democracy, Secularism in Azerbaijan and the Threat of Radicaliza-
tion in the region, 38; Rotar, “Under the Green Banner”; Salayeva and Baranick, “Address-
ing Terrorist Threats in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan”.
Nedea, Jafarov and Mamadov, “Radical Islam in Azerbaijan”.
European Foundation for Democracy, Secularism in Azerbaijan; Salayeva and Baranick, Ad-
dressing Terrorist Threats in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
Rotar, “Under the Green Banner,” 144-147.
Geybullayeva, “Is Azerbaijan Becoming a Hub of Radical Islam?”.
Grigoryan, Islamic Radicalism in the Caucasus.
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