This centre director is promoting multiculturalism through an inclusive society

How is the Baku International Multiculturalism Centre strengthening Azerbaijan’s efforts to preserve diversity?

Transcript

00:00 The multiculturalism in Azerbaijan is not just a concept, it's our way of life.

00:13 Because Azerbaijan is located between Eastern Europe and West Asia in the middle of Silk

00:18 Road, multicultural values come from the history and diversity existed here for centuries.

00:25 I mean ethnic diversity, religious diversity and linguistic diversity.

00:30 As a center of multiculturalism, our main goal for sure is to preserve the diversity

00:35 in Azerbaijan, linguistic, religious and cultural diversity in Azerbaijan.

00:39 This is the main goal.

00:40 But globally we are initiating the projects intercultural and interreligious dialogue.

00:45 And in this direction we are working absolutely with the prominent foreign experts and Azerbaijani

00:49 experts.

00:50 It's an international institution.

00:52 We have nine branches all around the world.

00:55 We are teaching multiculturalism as a subject in all Azerbaijani universities and we are

01:00 teaching this subject in 26 world universities also.

01:04 We are fighting in a global level negative trends like Islamophobia, antisemitism, extremism.

01:13 The Pew Research Center publicated reports that in 2018 in the world there is 80 terror

01:20 acts based on religious issues.

01:23 Every year the situation is going worse and worse.

01:26 In the world there is 198 independent countries.

01:30 There is more than 2,000 nations with different backgrounds, different languages and beliefs.

01:35 We need to create 2,000 independent states or we have to learn how to live together in

01:40 a peaceful coexistence.

01:42 For the internal stability you need to realize a policy, peaceful coexistence and give the

01:48 chance all the nations living in your country to have the same rights, equal rights and

01:55 equal possibility to preserve their languages, cultures and beliefs.

02:00 In Azerbaijan we are realizing implementing this policy successfully.

02:05 That's why we are trying to show an example that it's possible to live in a peaceful coexistence.

02:11 Not only the government institution and government themselves trying to keep this balance but

02:16 the communities also interested.

02:18 Muslims, Jews, Christians or ethnic minorities organized some events and they invited the

02:25 government institution to participate to this event.

02:29 It's a tradition in Azerbaijan in the period of Ramadan Christians, Jewish people also

02:34 participated in the celebrations.

02:37 Also Muslim communities participated, the Christian holidays.

02:40 So the initiated Muslim coming from the society, NGOs, government institutions, universities,

02:47 schools, society.

02:50 All sides have to be interested to live in a peaceful coexistence.

02:54 [Music]