LDS Church gains official recognition in Azerbaijan, enhancing religious freedom & interfaith dialogue

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints successfully concluded its registration process in Azerbaijan, allowing it to be officially recognized and operate in Baku—a significant step reflecting the country's commitment to religious freedom and interfaith dialogue, according to Deseret News as published by Caliber.Az.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was notified by the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan this week that their registration process, underway since the second half of 2023, had concluded successfully. According to a church statement, this registration “provides for a body that is officially recognized by the government of Azerbaijan to act for the Church in the Baku area” — which is the capitol of the country.

In 2019, the church was similarly recognized in Kuwait, which gives the church, according to Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the ability to open a bank account as a church, to rent or own property and to seek visas for humanitarian volunteers.

According to a 2022 Report on International Religious Freedom by the U.S. government, 993 registered communities were operating in Azerbaijan by early 2023 — 956 identifying as Muslim, 26 Christian, eight Jewish, two Baha’i, and one ISKCON (Hare Krishna). That included 2,253 mosques, 16 churches (and 26 Christian “prayer houses”), seven synagogues, and 10 religious education institutions.

Jews settled in Azerbaijan over 2,500 years ago, and have experienced unique religious tolerance there as a people, with an estimated 12,000 Jews in the country and the only Jewish-majority town outside of Israel and the United States. Most of the estimated 280,000-450,000 Christians which make up between 3.1% and 4.8% of the country’s population are Russian Orthodox, Georgian Orthodox or Armenian Apostolic, with smaller Catholic and Protestant communities. Currently, there is a small group of Latter-day Saints that meet regularly in the capitol city.

Azerbaijan is considered one of the more secular Muslim-majority countries, with 97% of the population identifying as Muslim. The Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, established in 1995, protects religious freedom. “Everyone has the right to freedom of conscience,” according to the constitution. It also declares: “Everyone has the right to freely determine his own approach to religion, to profess individually or together with others any religion or to profess no religion, and to express and disseminate his beliefs concerning his approach to religion.”

This freedom extends to the performance of “religious rituals” as long as they “do not disturb public order and are not contrary to public morals.”

The United States recognized Azerbaijan’s independence in December 1991, with the fall of the Soviet Union. Beginning in 1997, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints participated in humanitarian efforts in Azerbaijan, providing relief aid, wheelchairs, clean water and education projects to various communities. Since that time, more than 70 humanitarian projects have been supported by Latter-day Saints — sometimes in partnership with other organizations, including the Stirling Foundation.

Since 2015, a more direct, “respectful and cordial” relationship between the church and Azerbaijan officials and religious leaders began to develop — with a 2022 pamphlet published by the church, called “Muslims and Latter-day Saints: Beliefs, Values, and Lifestyles,” encouraging Latter-day Saints to appreciate commonalities in the commitments of both faiths.

Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints summarized: “Both Latter-day Saints and Muslims have sincerely held beliefs like faith in God, prophets, scriptures and holy places. We share common values like the importance of family, chastity and helping those in need. The lifestyles of followers of both faiths include practices such as prayer, fasting and protecting our physical health.”

In March 2023, one of the most prominent religious leaders of the Caucasus, the Grand Mufti and Sheikh ul-Islam, met President Russell M. Nelson and his counselors in the First Presidency, President Dallin H. Oaks and President Henry B. Eyring, at church headquarters in Salt Lake City — discussing common interests including religious freedom, peace and cooperation.

This leader subsequently invited church leaders to visit the country of Azerbaijan as his own visit to Utah concluded. The following spring, on April 30, Elder Bednar met the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev — along with the chairman of the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations, Ramin Mammadov.

The leaders explored common interests, and the process of the church registering in the country. In that meeting, President Aliyev remarked on Azerbaijan’s contributions to intercultural and interfaith dialogue — highlighting the country’s history of fostering harmonious coexistence between representatives from different religions — with the nation acting more like a unified family.

While in Azerbaijan, Elder Bednar participated in the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue that was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from May 1 through 3. The event was co-organized by Aliyev and the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. The conference followed the theme, “Dialogue for Peace and Global Security: Cooperation and Interconnectivity,” and gathered more than 1,000 representatives from governments, international organizations, religious groups, scholars and civic society leaders from all over the world — including Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, who had visited Salt Lake City previously.

In his address at the conference, Elder Bednar mentioned that in his visits to more than 110 nations as an apostle, “the commonalities I have observed among peoples of diverse backgrounds, faith traditions and cultures are truly remarkable. Our commonalities should be more powerful than our differences.”

In the wake of the church’s registration being approved, Elder Jack N. Gerard, a General Authority Seventy, expressed gratitude to members of the government of Azerbaijan for their help in the process. “President Aliyev, Chairman Mammadov, Sheik ul-Islam and many others were instrumental in this wonderful outcome for the church and their actions show that together we can all promote harmony, regardless of religion or cultural background.”