Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku International Multiculturalism Centre Azerbaijani Multiculturalism Textbook for Higher Education

is reflected in the ideas of state
and national independence. As a	result of the policy pursued by
Heydar Aliyev, all the collective forms of self-identification – ethnic,		53

Azerbaijani Multiculturalism

religious, socio-cultural, economic, and political, etc., were included in the concept of the “nation”. The idea of Azerbaijan is becoming the idea of all the ethnic groups that live in Azerbaijan and see Azerbaijan as their motherland.’

The integration of the policy of multiculturalism into Azerbaijanism ensures it is widespread in society and reinforces it. We noted earlier that the idea of multiculturalism in the narrow sense of the word reflects the concrete policy pursued by the state towards its ethnic, racial, religious and cultural diversity and the state’s protection of the ethnocultural values at the basis of this diversity. By protecting the ethnocultural values of the national minorities within society, the policy of multiculturalism strengthens the social basis of Azerbaijanism, transforming it into the ideology of all the peoples and ethnic groups residing in the country. In ensuring the further political, economic, social and cultural development of the Azerbaijani people, the ideology of Azerbaijanism makes good use of the policy of multiculturalism as an important tool. In his article entitled ‘The strong Azerbaijani state as the embodiment of the national idea in conditions of globalization’, Academician Ramiz Mehdiyev writes that the ideology of Azerbaijanism reinforces tolerance and multiculturalism for all ethnic groups living in the country and is a sign of the strength of the Azerbaijani state.

The National Leader of the Azerbaijani People introduced multiculturalism as an integral part of the ideology of Azerbaijan. He is, therefore, considered the political founder of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan.

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2.3. National Leader of the Azerbaijani People Heydar Aliyev as the Political Founder of Azerbaijani Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism as it took shape in Azerbaijan down the centuries was a permanent feature of the socio-­literary and psychological-moral landscape, but it was spontaneous and lacked a system, particularly in the years of Soviet ideology. It seemed to have all the prerequisites though: tolerance and moral potential, religious loyalty and national identity, psychological determination and openness to universal values prepared the Azerbaijanis for a multicultural regime. Such characteristics are clearly visible and influential in the literature and art of Azerbaijan, both in the past and today.

Shining examples from the epic Kitabi Dada Qorqud (The Book of Dada Qorqud) and the oral and written literature of Azerbaijan prove clearly the existence of multicultural traditions in the country from the distant past to the present day. This being the case, only one question remained on the agenda in recent times: consolidating the place of multiculturalism in legal and political terms. Azerbaijan’s National Leader Heydar Aliyev achieved this. He set a precise ideological target for Azerbaijan’s successful development and raised the centuries-old tradition of multiculturalism to a qualitatively new stage through his farsighted and wise policy. This was the political stage.

National Leader Heydar Aliyev demonstrated to the entire world the advantages of the political model of multiculturalism over other potential models such as assimilation and isolation. As Academician Ramiz Mehdiyev notes, under the supervision of National Leader Heydar Aliyev a sense of unity based on belonging to a single state began to be cultivated in all citizens, irrespective of their ethnic and religious identities. National Leader Heydar Aliyev said, ‘The multi-ethnic composition of the Azerbaijani population is

Section II

Chapter 2

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Azerbaijani Multiculturalism

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