Jalaloglu: Anti-Islamite leader and Keroglu dressed as a woman are considered as heroes in Azerbaijan today
"Today Azerbaijanis believe Babek is a national hero, though he was the leader of the Khurramite movement," Sardar Jalaloglu, head of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, told “Kanal 13".
Azerbaijani politician noted that there have been very few Azerbaijanis in that movement, and the movement itself was anti-Islamic. "In Soviet times, the Azerbaijani people were described as cowards, who had surrendered their rights, who were not able to consolidate and who had no deep roots. There were mostly Afghans and Persians in the move of Khurramite. They had serious disagreements concerning Islam because of their beliefs," the head of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan said.
That’s why the top Democrat of Azerbaijan is against the glorification of folkloric character of Keroglu, a folk hero of Azerbaijan, because it is not a dramatic but a comical character. "When he gets into trouble, he dresses in women's apparel and runs away, or asks for saving a horse, or pretends to be an ashug. In fact Keroglu has no heroic image" the politician said.