Elmira Akhundova: "If in Iran young girls are just carelessly covering their heads with neckpieces and men have accurate beards, "our" Muslim girls fully cover themselves with kerchiefs, while Muslims have long beards"

"This radicalization proceeds not by the line "power" - "opposition". Azerbaijani opposition is growing more civic and does not think of meeting passions, especially with throwing stones on their opponents", said she.

According to her, radical trends of Islam, which acquire specific forms, are becoming intensive. Their faith is quite aggressive and those who do not share their views and norms of conduct are views as enemies and tolerance is not their feature.

"Most of them try to look even more decent than the Roman pope: if in Iran young girls are just carelessly covering their head with neckpieces and men have accurate beards, "our" Muslim girls fully cover themselves with kerchiefs, while Muslims have long beards", said she.

"Unlike most Muslim states, where parents try to give a good education to their children, including girls, "our" Muslims consider it a virtue if a girl is not allowed to go to school and they encourage the unwillingness of young people to attend senior classes. It is also considered good to marry a girl at the age of 15-16 years old. Marriages between relatives are still common. In Masally, where I was elected a deputy, many young people are registered as insane and the indicator of different diseases among people, born in a marriage before relatives, is growing each year.

She voiced concern with the situation in Nardaran, the recent protests in this village and issuance of fatwa to the Azerbaijani intellectual Sabir Rustamkhanly.

According to her, the role of Iran in creating such a dangerous situation is great.

"Unfortunately, Iran supplies not only radical ideology, but also drugs to our country. Everyday we hear news about the arrest of a large amount of drugs on the Iranian border", said Akhundova, noting that perhaps it is done to easily regulate drug addicted people and subdue them.

She said that the situation is quite difficult and demands urgent measures.

"Powers must take firm actions in this field and take control over the situation in the religious front", noted the deputy.

"It is for our society and its political elite to decide about existence of our secular, tolerant and democratic state. They must join efforts and say "no" to religious extremism in all its forms and shapes.

/Day.Az/