Prophet Muhammad Mosque being razed in Baku

The Yasamal District Administration head and its some officials came to the mosque and knocked down gates, "Koran" book on the mosque's doors and the board which indicated the mosque's name, Yasamal District Religious Community Chief Mir Valeh Movsumov told Trend News on April 1.

On Nov. 28, the Yasamal District Court passed a verdict supporting the Yasamal District Administration's request to raze the Muhammad Prophet Mosque at 190 Murtuza Mukhtarov St.

A non-residential building will be built on the property.

Representatives of the mosque lodged a complaint with the Baku Appeals Court requesting that the Yasamal District Court's verdict be annulled and a new decision be passed.

It is illegal to raze the mosque without the court's decision coming to power, community official and lawyer Mukhtar Mustafayev told Trend News.

"We lodged an appeal complaint against the Yasamal District Court's verdict and our complaint is under examinations. It is illegal to implement this verdict without the Appeals Court's examining the complaint and passing resolution. Moreover, only the court's officials can implement its verdicts, but not officials of the district administration," Mustafayev stressed.

The lawyer said Religious Community Head Movsumov's claim demands to regard the Baku City Administration's and Yasamal District Administration's refusal to approve the mosque's project as illegal and make them approve the project.

"As the Yasamal District Court did not allow submitting a reciprocal claim, we had to raise his question at the Baku Appeals Court," Mustafayev said.

The Religious Community lodged a cassation appeal with the Supreme Court against the Baku Appeals Court's refusing to put the complaint into execution.

The Caucasus Muslims Clerical Office does not agree with the decision to raze the mosque.

The representatives appealed to Council of Europe (CE) Secretary General Terry Davis requesting his assistance in preventing the mosque from being razed.

In response, Davis said he supports the issue being resolved in line with Azerbaijani legislation.

/Trend News/