The constitution provides for no state religion and allows all faiths to practice their religion. The country is about 90 percent Muslim. About 60 percent of Muslims are Sunni and 40 percent are Shia. The Law on Religion palces all Muslims under the authority of the Spiritual Directorate of All-Caucasus Muslims. In practice, Shia and Sunni Muslims, Russian Orthodox Christians, and Jews are free to worship and conduct educational activities.
The Law on Religion states that the government will not interfere with the activities of any group but requires that religious organizations be registered with the government. The Committee for Work with Religious Organizations (SCWRA), created in 2001, oversees the registration. They also have the authority over publication, importation and distribution of religious literature as well as to shut down religious organizations that violate the law. Religious organizations have been called upon to reregister three times since 1991. The last time was in 2001. While there are as many as 2000 religious organizations in the country, as of 2003, only 199 groups had successfully registered. Some Protestant Christian organizations, including several Baptist Churches have had difficulty registering. Registration allows the group to rent property, have a bank account, and operate as a legal entity. Lack of registration places severe constraints on a groups ability to practice. Production, importation and dissemination of religious literature are permitted only with the consent of local authorities.
Under a law passed by the Parliament in 1996, it is illegal for foreign missionaries to proselytize. Government, pro-government and opposition newspapers have run articles attacking Christian missionaries as a threat to national identity, traditions and morals. There have been numerous reports over the past few years of abuses of religious freedom, especially of Muslims who convert to non-Muslim faiths.
2003 U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Report on Azerbaijan
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