Iranian state newspaper: Freedom for Jews in Azerbaijan contrasts with restrictions on Shiites

Published: 2025-11-15 08:21

Videos of Azerbaijani Jews celebrating Sukkot have drawn significant attention in recent weeks, the Iranian state newspaper Farhikhtegan reports.

The paper notes that the reaction is driven not by the holiday itself, but by the fact that the Jewish community enjoys broad freedoms in a country where the Shiite majority is “restricted in holding religious ceremonies.”

According to Farhikhtegan, “the Aliyev family, which has ruled Azerbaijan for many years, seeks to bolster its position by relying on the support of Zionist lobbies in the United States,” which the paper sees as particularly important given the influence of the Armenian lobby in Washington. In this context, Baku “grants greater space for Jews,” while also allowing “preachers connected to Saudi religious currents to operate freely in order to attract Saudi Arabia’s attention."

The newspaper argues that Azerbaijan stands out sharply from other Turkic states in the region, such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, by “promoting pan-Turkism” in a far more assertive and visible manner.

By Azerbaijani-Israeli Alliance Global News