Rev. Johnnie Moore, founder of the interdenominational Congress of Christian Leaders, is singing the praises of Azerbaijan after wrapping up a multi-day visit to the Islamic nation.
Moore says he was encouraged by how people of various faiths and backgrounds seemed to peacefully co-exist in the country, which boasts a more than 90 percent Muslim population.
“I met Sunni and Shia young people who pray together, orthodox and evangelical Christians who serve together,” he wrote in a statement. “And I observed the valued and indispensable role a thriving Jewish community plays in a country whose population is over 90 percent Muslim but whose people have celebrated a longstanding relationship between their nation and the State of Israel.”
Moore was joined by Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Both men are frequent collaborators on interfaith initiatives worldwide and Moore said he was impressed by the multiculturalism he witnessed during their visit.
“No doubt, Azerbaijan has its imperfections as well,” Moore acknowledged. “But I came to specifically assess firsthand the spirit of multiculturalism that undergirds Azeri society, which should be celebrated and which can be a model for many countries in the world.”
He indicated this was particularly poignant given Azerbaijan’s history as a former Soviet republic.
“It was profound to sit these last few days with Muslim, Jewish and Christian citizens who haven’t forgotten the mutual suffering they endured together as devoutly religious under the atheistic, Soviet era,” Moore said. “They cherish what they have now knowing what little they had, then. ”
A Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice: 