By Bruno DE CORDIER in Baku
Wearing European clothes instead of a turban and robe and being a human rights activist and newspaper editor in addition to an imam, one would not immediately associate Ilgar Ibrahimoglu with the cliché of a Shiite cleric. As such, he represents certain trends in Azerbaijan’s post-Soviet society and religious landscape. 34-year old Ibragimoglu used to be the imam of the Juma mosque in Baku’s old centre until the authorities closed it in mid-2004, officially for restoration but apparently because of Ibrahimoglu’s critical stances towards the governement and official clergy. The Juma mosque was recently reopened for worship but under a different leadership. Ibrahimoglu continues his activities from premises in Baku’s business quarter.
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