ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a more thorough understanding of what made 'Turkish Islam' the preferred choice for the political leaders of independent Azerbaijan as well as explains the fact that this amicable reception of Turkish religious representatives seems gradually to be coming to an end. It argues that even though the religious aspect has never been the most significant in Turkish-Azerbaijani relations, the dynamics within the religious terrain underlying the interaction between the two states can be viewed as a function of the 'politicization' of the issue. The chapter focuses on Islam in Azerbaijan within various historical epochs to highlight the processes by which the notion of a 'unique Azerbaijani Islam' developed. It discusses the Turkish input into Azerbaijan's post-independence religious revival and how its success was facilitated by a high degree of religious-political convergence between the two states, much related to the political idea of a local lenient version of religion that needed protection.
