AZE.US
Azerbaijani society is facing a deep moral crisis, with family values weakening, divorces rising and responsibility disappearing from public life, an Azerbaijani MP Jeyhun Mammadov said on Media Turk TV.
The lawmaker said the country is moving through “very painful processes” and accused a large part of society of indifference.
“We are beginning to look like a nation moving toward a cliff without realizing it. Unfortunately, immorality and lack of upbringing have swept through our society,” the MP said.
According to him, Azerbaijani men and women have traditionally been known for honor, dignity and moral values, but those values are now disappearing.
He pointed in particular to the rapid increase in divorces.
“I do not rule out that divorces in Azerbaijan may soon reach 80%. People get married today and divorce tomorrow. They do not understand why they are creating a family,” the MP said.
He recalled cases in which young couples decided to separate almost immediately after marriage.
“What kind of thinking is this? What kind of approach is this? Unfortunately, this is the real picture of our society today,” he said.
The MP said many young people no longer want to marry, have children or take responsibility. He also named selective abortions, early marriages and marriages between relatives among the most serious problems facing the country.
“If we continue at this pace, the family institution in Azerbaijan will be completely destroyed. The current direction of this process leads exactly there,” he said.
The lawmaker also sharply criticized what he described as a consumerist mentality in society.
“Today, most of society thinks only about eating, drinking and entertainment. Everyone wants to travel, eat and have fun. Fewer people want to study, fewer people want to work on themselves. Everyone is chasing easy money, and everyone has debts to banks,” he said.
He rejected the idea that the crisis can be explained only by social and economic difficulties.
“Everyone tries to reduce this issue to social problems. No. Did everyone live well during the Soviet period? In the 1990s, when we could not even find bread, did we have this many divorces, this much immorality and promiscuity? Why have we come to this point? Because we moved away from our values, from Islam, from our national and moral values,” the MP said.
He said money has become the main value for many people.
“Money is necessary for everyone, but money is not everything. If there is no state, no security, no morality, no family and no upbringing, what is the point of having billions?” he said.
The MP also accused intellectuals and public figures of remaining silent while society is changing for the worse.
“Who is talking about this? Who is worried about this? How many intellectuals have you seen sounding the alarm? Everyone has lowered their head and is busy with their own affairs. Where are we going? Does anyone think about what awaits us?” he said.
According to him, relations between relatives, neighbors, spouses, parents and children have also deteriorated.
“Family ties are broken, neighborly relations are broken, relations between husband and wife are broken. Brother turns against brother, daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law fight each other. There is no respect left. Where is this society going?” the MP said.
He also criticized social media users who, in his words, have no knowledge, culture or experience, yet try to lecture the state and officials.
“A person cannot find a job, cannot properly raise his child, but says: if I become president, I will do this and that. First learn to manage yourself. Running a state is difficult,” the MP said.
AZE.US