Fuad Huseynaliyev: Religious journalism should also be specialized

Religious issues have always been a sensitive topic, making them the most fertile information space for forces that want to mislead public opinion, manipulate, and disrupt socio-political stability, Fuad Huseynaliyev, the Director of Report News Agency and member of the Board of Trustees of the Moral Values Promotion Fund, said at a panel session titled "Religion-media relations: New targets and challenges" organized within the framework of a conference titled “Modern Information Space and Freedom of Religious Belief” held in Azerbaijan's Shamakhi, Report informs.

Huseynaliyev noted that today, Azerbaijan is one of the secular states where freedom of belief and multicultural values are ensured at the highest level:

"However, there are also challenges arising from this tolerance that cannot be overlooked. In many cases, external forces can use the religious factor to influence, and sometimes pressure, various states and societies."

He emphasized that social media has become an integral part of daily life, which leads to the faster spread of undesirable information on religious topics.

"In this regard, various religious groups can enter Azerbaijan under the guise of education or charity. Various religious sects are created by them, and young people can be drawn into these sects, and in some cases even into terrorist organizations. Of course, when there are serious threats, relevant authorities prevent this with high professionalism, and in this respect, Azerbaijan is one of the safest countries."

Huseynaliyev noted that illegal religious propaganda is usually conducted under different names.

"Sometimes even behind the most innocent form, religious radicalism can stand in essence, and the media has a big role in detecting such cases, or at least not promoting them. For this, journalists covering religious topics should themselves have good knowledge of the field. Just as we have economic journalism, sports journalism, cultural journalism, religious journalism should also be specialized."

The conference is held with the media support of Global Media Group.