- Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade visited Utah to attend general conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- Pashazade supported the registration of the Church of Jesus Christ in Azerbaijan in 2024.
- Delegation members felt warmly welcomed and expressed gratitude for Salt Lake City's hospitality.
It was a great honor to be present at a session of general conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “wearing the Islamic imamah among this huge gathering,” said Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade on Sunday.
“I consider that as a sign of respect to my country, to my people, to our beliefs,” he added.
Pashazade is a prominent Muslim leader from the Republic of Azerbaijan and spoke to the Deseret News through an interpreter after attending the conference for the global faith on Sunday in Salt Lake City.
As the chairman of the Caucasus Muslims’ Board and the chairman of the Qazi Council, he works to support unity of all the traditional madhhabs of Islam. He encourages Shia and Sunni Muslims to come together and pray together in the same mosque and has worked to promote peace all around the world.
His Virtue is a doctor of historical sciences and professor of theology and is known as the first historian of Islamic studies in Azerbaijan.
He traveled to Salt Lake City with members of his family as well as other representatives from his country: Azerbaijan Parliament member Javanshir Pashazade and the executive director of Baku’s multiculturalism Centre, Ravan Hasanov.
His Virture Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade shares highlights from his visit to Salt Lake City
As a part of his visit to Salt Lake City, His Virtue met with President Dallin H. Oaks, president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, on Thursday and he also met with other leaders in Utah including Utah Senate President Stuart Adams.
“It was our great honor to have this rare opportunity to be received by President Oaks, and to offer condolences on the passing away of the President Nelson,” Sheikh ul-Islam Allahshukur said.
The delegation visit aligned with his work of strengthening interfaith and international relationships around the world.
“The main aim of our coming here, after cutting so big distance is to strengthen and to develop, improve our good relations of cooperation,” His Virtue said.
He also highlighted his experience attending a session of general conference.
“I still feel very impressed after the session where President Oaks and Elder (David A.) Bednar and others gave very meaningful speeches, and that made me trust more than ever that we have very many common thoughts, common ideas and common principles between the Church of Jesus Christ and the Muslims,” he said.
This was not His Virtue’s first visit to Salt Lake City. He came once in 2023 and emphasized that it was snowing at the time, which he enjoyed.
“I still remember, because that was outstanding,” he said. “The autumn is also a very beautiful season in Utah but witnessing the snow was different for me, so I hope I will come again in the wintertime.”
Azerbaijan delegation emphasizes how welcome they have felt in Utah
Javanshir Pashazade praised Utah, saying how beautiful Salt Lake City is and emphasized how good the people are and how great the hospitality has been.
“After the end of session, we were going through the lines to the exit, and I saw faces of people who were standing (on) both sides, all were smiling, and it’s obvious that His Virtue is wearing an Imamah and he’s Muslim, and their positive attitude to us was very remarkable,” said Javanshir Pashazade, through an interpreter.
An Imamah is a specific type of traditional Islamic headwear.
The parliament member also shared that the general conference was “outstanding.”
“Nobody forced those people to come, to attend, to listen, but they came by the call of their hearts,” Hummat said.
Hasanov has also traveled to Utah before and worked with church leaders. As he spoke he thanked “my friends living here, Elder (Jack N.) Gerard, Elder Bednar and others. They are not like a friend, but like family members.”
He also emphasized that the people of Azerbaijan share many values with the people of Utah and added that it is so important to bring together people of different cultures and beliefs.
