US Azerbaijani Diaspora call upon President Obama and other elected representatives to celebrate Azerbaijani National Day

The Azerbaijani Diaspora in the US has started a new “letter campaign” by sending dozens of bulletins to the US elected officials about the 93rd anniversary of the world’s first predominantly Muslim secular parliamentary democracy.

"On May 28, Azerbaijanis in America and around the world celebrate the 93rd anniversary of the establishment of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), world’s first predominantly Muslim secular democracy", remind the letters.

"In 23 months of its existence prior to the Bolshevik occupation in April 1920, ADR established secular democratic institutions, including the Parliament and elected multi-party representative government, and secured country’s international recognition by the League of Nations. Among other key achievements of Azerbaijani democracy were the 1919 universal suffrage law, granting women the right to vote (notably, ahead of the United States) and the development of a uniform civic identity regardless of ethnic, racial or religious differences".

"We call upon President Obama and our elected representatives to celebrate May 28th as Azerbaijani National Day and to recognize Azerbaijan’s historic success as the world’s first predominantly Muslim secular democracy", say the authors.


/APA/