What both of you are saying is interlinked. The common theme is that both Azerbaijan and Russia were part of the atheist, communist Soviet Union.
All the Muslim states that came under the control of the Soviet Union suffered a catastrophic loss in their Islamic faith. According to statistics Muslims living in former Soviet states are the least likely to attend a mosque, and Azerbaijan has the lowest number at 1%.
The Soviet Union was Russia, of course, and historically the Russians have committed a vast number of atrocities against Muslims. Most of the eastern and southern parts of Russian were Muslim territories they captured and killed off the inhabitants. Today Russia has a 10% Muslim population, but they live in their own territories, like Chechnya and Dagestan. In Russia proper they are not treated well.
In Moscow, with over 1 million Muslims they have allowed only 4 mosques. Even though the US is attacking Muslims around the world, inside the country they allow as many mosques as Muslims want to build.
The Russian propaganda rag, Russia Today (RT) is extremely Islamophobic and constantly publishes anti-Muslim and pro-Indian propaganda. It's like RT is published in Bombay, India.
As a Muslim I wouldn't trust Russians at all.
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Most of the Soviet satellite states were culturally destroyed by communist savages such as Lenin.
Let me tell you a story,
My grandfather lived in Baku for a short period of time with his older brother and his family, since his older brother was an Islamic scholar, they had to escape to Iran during Qajar rule to avoid getting butchered by communist savages of Soviets, for a reason that i will explain.
My father says, during that short period of time when your grandfather was in Baku as a pupil, once at school, teachers told the Muslim students, ask your Allah to throw chocolates into this classroom from the same sky that you Muslims raise your hands to and ask him, Students did that and nothing happens, the teacher once again asks students to repeat with him, O Lenin! give us chocolates, and all of a sudden tens of chocolates were thrown into classroom through the windows.
My father says, when your grandfather returned to his brother, told him Allah is a lie and does not exist. Our teachers said that Lenin is the existing God of our people and he gave us delicious chocolates.
And that was when my grandfather was a 8 or 9 years old pupil.
That was how Soviet's ideological agents brainwashed Muslim children and removed religion from their minds.
After that, my great uncle barred my grandfather from attending communist schools and he himself taught him Quran and educates him how to read and write in Arabic and Russian languages. The communist agents, so called teachers, found out that my grandfather was absent and avoids school. They looked for him and brought him back to school. During one of ideological brainwashing of communist agents, my grandfather starts defying communism and insists on teachings of my grand uncle and it gives communists a clue that he might be taught by a Islamic scholar. They ask him, who told you these words? And he replies, my brother.
Fortunately, my grandfather when he finishes school and wants to return to home, he accidentally hears from communist agents that his older brother is identified and he will be arrested and executed for doing Tableegh. He runs to his brother and informs him of the imminent threat, that was when my grand uncle decides to escape to Iran with his family. A couple of his Muslim Students helped him to escape and leave Baku to Iran.
Long story short, communists fought Islam in Islamic lands for years and its consequences still remains even today.