Culture of Azerbaijan - Religion

Religion

Around 93 percent of Azerbaijan's population is nominally Muslim, while about 5 percent of the population adheres to Russian Orthodox Church. Among the Muslim majority, religious observance is relatively low and Muslim identity tends to be based more on culture and ethnicity rather than religion. The Muslim population is approximately 70 percent Shi'a and 30 percent Sunni; differences traditionally have not been defined sharply.

There are fairly sizeable expatriate Christian and Muslim communities in the capital city of Baku; authorities generally permit these groups to worship freely.

Read more about this topic:  Culture Of Azerbaijan

Famous quotes containing the word religion:

    It’s almost impossible to deal with a crazy man, except that he does have religious beliefs, and the world of Islam will be damaged if a fanatic like him should commit murder in the name of religion against 60 innocent people.
    Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)

    Freedom prospers when religion is vibrant and the rule of law under God is acknowledged.
    Ronald Reagan (b. 1911)

    Culture’s essential service to a religion is to destroy intellectual idolatry, the recurrent tendency in religion to replace the object of its worship with its present understanding and forms of approach to that object.
    Northrop Frye (b. 1912)