The Islamic Resistance Movement of Azerbaijan, also known as Husayniyun, is an
Azerbaijani Shia
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
Islamist militant organization that is purportedly backed by Iran.
History
Tawhid Ibrahim Begli (
Azeri Azeri or Azeri Turk may refer to:
* Azeri people, an ethnic group also known as Azerbaijanis
* Citizens of Azerbaijan
* Azeri language, the modern-day Turkic language
* Old Azeri, an extinct Iranian language
* Azeri Turk (journal), Academic jour ...
: Tövhid İbrahimbəyli) is known as the founder of this movement. He is a staunch critic of the regime of
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar Oghlu Aliyev (born 24 December 1961) is an Azerbaijani politician who has been the fourth president of Azerbaijan since 2003. He is also the leader of the New Azerbaijan Party since 2005.
The son and second child of former Aze ...
and stated that the aim of the movement is "to create a discourse, to create a deterrent power among the
Shia Muslims of Azerbaijan and to strengthen and empower them based on the model of resistance".
In late 2015 and early 2016, Tawhid Ibrahim Begli instructed 14 students from the
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
who were studying religion in
Qom
Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...
and
Mashhad
Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...
to establish a "Husseiniyun Brigade" consisting of students. Ibrahim Begli first gathered the 14 students at the workplace of Iskander Husseinov in
Qom
Qom (; ) is a city in the Central District of Qom County, Qom province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district. It is the seventh largest metropolis and also the seventh largest city in Iran. The city is ...
, and after a day of waiting and training, transferred them to a military unit near the Syrian capital,
Damascus
Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
. According to some media outlets in the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ibrahim Begli immediately stated in Damascus that their intention was not only to fight ISIS, but also to prepare for an uprising in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
.
However, the movement has stated that its sole purpose is to confront extremists and has no plans to expand its activities in Azerbaijan, to the extent that some members of this movement volunteered at their own choice in the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War
The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding occupied territories. It was a major escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, involvi ...
in favor of Azerbaijan. Although according to Tawhid Ibrahim Begli, he did not support Azerbaijan and did not deploy fighters because of
Israel’s support for Azerbaijan.
The movement was named by
Qasem Soleimani
Qasem Soleimani (; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until Assassination of Qasem Soleimani, his assassination by the United States in 2020, h ...
.
Like the
IRGC
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, is a multi-service primary branch of the Iranian Armed Forces. It was officially established by Ruhollah Khomeini as a military branch in May 1979 i ...
and its branches,
Hezbollah
Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...
,
Al-Sabireen,
Liwa Zainebiyoun,
Liwa Fatemiyoun
Liwa Fatemiyoun (; Persian language, Persian/Dari Persian, Dari: ), literally "Fatimid Liwa (Arabic), Banner" or Fatemiyoun Brigade, also known as Lashkar-e-Fatemiyoun (; Persian language, Persian/Dari Persian, Dari: ) or Fatemiyoun Division is an ...
, and many other Shia militias allied to Iran, the flag of this group features a hand holding a rifle.
Ties with Iran
Tawhid Ibrahim Begli's father, Alam Ibrahimli, and his mother, Soodabeh Ibrahimli, originally from
Lankaran
Lankaran (, ) or Lánkon () is a city in Azerbaijan, on the coast of the Caspian Sea, near the southern border with Iran. As of 2021, the city had a population of 89,300. It is next to, but independent of, Lankaran District. The city forms a disti ...
, later settled in
Mashhad
Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...
.
In 2013, Tavhid Ibrahim Begli met with
Ali Khamenei
Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third President of Iran, president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure ...
, the supreme leader of Iran, during a meeting called "Ulema of the Ummah and the Islamic Awakening" as the chairman of the "Assembly of Fighting Clerics of the Republic of Azerbaijan". During the meeting, he spoke about the situation of Muslim prisoners in the Republic of Azerbaijan.
In 2017, Ibrahim Begli attended the "Memorial of the Martyrs of Nardaran" in
Zanjan and spoke about the incident of an attack by the special police forces of the
Azerbaijani Ministry of Interior in 2015 on the Shiites of
Nardaran
Nardaran is a settlement and municipality on the Abşeron Peninsula in Baku, Azerbaijan. It has a population of 8,300. Located 25 kilometers northeast of central Baku, it is politically part of the Baku city-subdivision and treated as a suburb. ...
, which killed four residents.
The movement visited the tomb of
Qasem Soleimani
Qasem Soleimani (; 11 March 1957 – 3 January 2020) was an Iranian military officer who served in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). From 1998 until Assassination of Qasem Soleimani, his assassination by the United States in 2020, h ...
in
Kerman
Kerman (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kerman County), Central District of Kerman County, Kerman province, Kerman province, Iran, serving as capital of the province, the county, and the district.
History
Kerman was founded as a def ...
in 2020.
In a message, the Islamic Resistance Movement of Azerbaijan congratulated
Ebrahim Raisi
Ebrahim Raisolsadati (14 December 1960 – 19 May 2024), better known as Ebrahim Raisi, was an Iranian politician who served as the eighth president of Iran from 2021 until 2024 Varzaqan helicopter crash, his death in a helicopter crash in 202 ...
on his victory in the
2021 Iranian presidential election.
Crackdown and arrests of members
The members of this group who were fighting in
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
were mostly imprisoned or faced severe treatment by the government of Azerbaijan after returning.
Azerbaijani law enforcement agencies released information that Tawhid Ibrahim Begli, leader of this organization, who regularly made threats against Azerbaijan, called for the assassination of
Elmar Valiyev, mayor of
Ganja
''Ganja'' (, ; ) is one of the oldest and most commonly used synonyms for cannabis flower, specifically marijuana or hashish. Its usage in English dates to before 1689.
Etymology
''Ganja'' is borrowed from Hindi (, IPA: �aːɲd͡ʒa� ...
in January 2017 through the extremist website "nur-az.com". A year later,
Yunis Safarov attempted to assassinate Elmar Valiyev.
Tawhid Ibrahim Begli has been accused of continuous and radical efforts against the government of Azerbaijan and was previously detained by the police during a protest rally in front of the Israeli embassy in Baku and was detained for 7 days by a court decision.
In 2020, the residence of Faleq Valiyev, a member of the movement, was identified in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
, and he was arrested as part of an international search and was extradited to Azerbaijan on August 27. He was charged with "being a member of a criminal group (organization)", "training outside the Republic of Azerbaijan for terrorist purposes" and "participating in the activities of armed groups outside the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan". He was sentenced to eight years in prison by the Ganja Crimes Court.
"Elmir Zahedov", a high-ranking member of the organization who was present in Syria, was imprisoned in
Shaki prison in 2021.
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Notes
References
{{Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Anti-Israeli sentiment in Asia
Anti-ISIL factions in Syria
Hezbollah
Islam-related controversies
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
Shia Islamist groups
Paramilitary organisations based in Iran
Pro-Assad factions of the Syrian civil war
Resistance movements
Khomeinist groups
Terrorism in Azerbaijan
Military units and formations established in 2015
Anti-Zionist organizations
Anti-Americanism
Jihadist groups in Syria
Anti-Western sentiment
Islam in Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan–Iran relations
Azerbaijan–Syria relations
Iran–Syria relations
Axis of Resistance