According to the Azaldliq newspaper, Nariman Gasimoglu was targeted for death under a declaration of jihad a few months ago, by opponents of his modern and scientific approach to Islam (he translated the Koran into Azeri). Reportedly, Nariman got into trouble by giving a radio interview in which he stated that women should be permitted to decide for themselves whether they wish to wear a headscarf, among other things. Eventually, those who threatened Nariman were persuaded to give themselves up, and convinced to ask his forgiveness, which he apparently gave them in a face-to-face meeting.
Nariman has written for Registan as well as Eurasianet and other publications. He was our neighbor in Washington last year, when he was a Fulbright Scholar at Georgetown University. He is a leader of the Azeri opposition to President Aliev. As in the case of Salman Rushdie, IMHO this fatwa case can only raise Nariman’s stature.
