Muslim radicals face crackdown in Azerbaijan

Significance

The bill's declared purpose is to prevent the import of foreign ideologies and to give law enforcement wider authority, in particular for 'special' security operations, arrests and searches. Its origins lie not in recent events in Nardaran but the destabilisation of the Middle East after the 'Arab spring', the chair of the parliamentary committee on religious organisations and public associations, Siyavush Novruzov, said. The secular regime sees a rising threat in radical Islam, represented by both Islamic State group (ISG) and a multitude of smaller groups.

Impacts

• The government will strive for socioeconomic stability at all costs, expanding benefits and using the State Oil Fund's substantial reserves.
• The deteriorating regional security situation may undercut Azerbaijan's strategy of becoming a prime supplier of gas to Turkey and the EU.
• Baku will become more tempted to use anti-terrorism and anti-extremism as a political weapon against the domestic non-religious opposition.
• Azerbaijan's Shia form 75% of its Muslims, who form 97% of the population.