Azerbaijanis view Iran as a pro-Armenian country that doesn’t want Azerbaijan’s success and progress.
Azerbaijan’s top cleric, Chairman of the Caucasus Muslims’ Board (CMB), Allahshukur Pashazade, is under criticism for his comments on Iran’s role in the Karabakh war last week.
Speaking about the Second Karabakh War, Pashazade had credited Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for causing Azerbaijan’s victory in the war with his fatwah.
“I want to thank the president of Turkey, Mr. Erdogan and Ayatollah Khamenei, whose fatwa brought us the victory in Karabakh. He issued a fatwa stating that the land of Karabakh is the land of Islam. It almost proved our victory, it led to victory,” Pashazade said after the Eid-al Adha prayer on July 21.
Erdoghan’s Advisor Mucahit Kuchukyilmaz slashed out at Pashazade in his Twitter account.
“This means while Khameyni was sending weapons to Armenia, he also sent a fatwa to Azerbaijan. But Khamenei’s fatwa defeated Khamenei’s weapons!”
Kuchukyilmaz’s words were quickly circulated in the Azerbaijani media accompanied by harsh criticism of Pashazade.
The anti-Pashazade sentiments also spilled over to the country’s social media where netizens voiced wide held beliefs that Iran is a pro-Armenian government and has not done anything for Baku’s victory in the Karabakh war.
Pashazade tried to silence the criticism against him in an interview given to local media.
“I am a man of religion, not of either Iran or Turkey,” he said. Pashazade also hit back at Kuchukyilmaz for “distorting” his words and for putting shadow over the Turkish-Azerbaijani ties.
