On May 10, the State Committee on Affairs with Religious Associations held an event to announce the results of the essay competition titled “Powerful Azerbaijan is Heydar Aliyev’s Masterpiece.” The competition was organized among members of religious communities to commemorate the 101st anniversary of the birth of National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

Sayyad Salahli, First Deputy Chairman of the State Committee, inaugurated the event with an opening speech, highlighting the significant contributions of the Great Leader to the development of state-religion relations in Azerbaijan and the preservation of national and spiritual values.

Agil Shirinov, Rector of the Azerbaijan Institute of Theology under the State Committee Affairs with Religious Associations, and Mehman İsmayılov, Executive Director of the Moral Values Promotion Foundation, emphasized in their speeches the Great Leader’s role in shaping and developing the Azerbaijani identity idea, which encompasses the national and spiritual heritage of the Azerbaijani people, along with his support for the activities of religious denominations in the country.

The results of the writing competition were announced as follows:

-          First place: Mushfig Khalilov, Imam of the Central “Juma” Mosque in Shaki;

-          Second place: Mehdi Sofiyev, Deputy Imam of the “Birinci Mahalla” Mosque in Bilajari settlement;

-          Third place: Zaur Eyvazov, Head of the “Haji Agamirza” Mosque religious community in Chiyini, Ujar District.                                                                              

Encouragement prizes were awarded to:

-          Rahil Alijanov, Deputy Imam of the Kovlar village mosque in Sabirabad District;

-          Elnur Aliyev, Imam of the Khirdalan city mosque in Absheron District;

-          Heydar Mammadov, Head of the “Heydar” Mosque religious community in Salmanbeyli village, Agjabadi District.

Mushfig Khalilov, Imam of the Central “Juma” Mosque in Shaki, noted the state’s commitment to national and spiritual heritage, emphasizing that the model established by the Great Leader has become the key guarantee of stability, tolerance, and dynamic development in Azerbaijan.