Baku between Orient and Occident Islam in the Post-Soviet City

After the collapse of Soviet rule, which had suppressed all religions, Islam was rehabilitated in independent Azerbaijan. In the capital of Baku, mosques that had been diverted from their original purpose were restored, others refurbished, new ones built. Islam returned to the public sphere. At the same time, the regime stresses Azerbaijan's secular nature, tries to gain control over all of the faithful, fights radical currents, and advocates a "worldly Islam" as national tradition. For Muslims, this is nonsense. As a place where different ways of life coexist, Baku is coming under pressure.