"Haji Javad" mosque demolished in Baku

At night of July 1, in Baku, the "Haji Javad" mosque was destroyed in the "Sovetskaya" area. There, old buildings are massively demolished for the purpose of urban improvement and construction of new roads. Earlier, believers were promised that the mosque would not be demolished until another mosque was built in another place. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev dismissed the head of the Yasamal District administration "for an unsanctioned decision" to demolish the mosque.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on April 12, believers surrounded the mosque and did not let demolish it. After the protests, the demolition was stopped.

According to eyewitnesses, bulldozers demolished the building, despite protests of about 100 believers gathered near the mosque.

The believer who has introduced himself as Meshadi (a title of the persons who made the pilgrimage to Shiite shrines in the Iranian city of Mashhad) Nuru believes that the mosque was demolished at night to avoid mass protests.

Ali Gasanov, Azerbaijani President's Assistant for Social and Political Affairs, has reported that in accordance with the Ilham Aliev's instructions, a place and means were allocated to build a more convenient, beautiful and modern mosque in Sharifzade Street. The construction works have already been started.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.