‘‘Kultura.az’’: Have you ever wondered why they think Azerbaijanis are like people from Stone Age?

“Ekrem Eylisli needs to run away,” wrote Lala Ismailzade on “Kultura.az” site in the article about baiting the author of the novel “Stone Dreams”. She wonders whether it is possible for the crowd living in authoritarian regime be tolerant with dissenting opinions.

“Today, the school principals hold meetings as if they are one, propagating Ekrem Eylisli’s as “traitor of the fatherland.” They say that such “meetings of the Bureau" used to took place under Stalin regime as well,” the author writes, and notes that one of the Azerbaijani TV channels called on taking away Eyylisli’s all property and give to immigrants, apparently hoping to solve the problem of the poor Azerbaijanis by the property of the writer.

According to the author, Azerbaijan has two ways. First is to destroy all dissent writers who criticized the Azerbaijani society, and obliterate any positive references about the Armenians. “What did Sabir write about the Azerbaijani? I fear whenever I see a Muslim. You see, he's not afraid of Armenian but a Muslim. After his death Armenians collected money for publication of his poems and helped,” notes the author and adds that by this logic, it is necessary to erase from the history of Azerbaijan Mirza Fatali Akhundov as well, because one of the characters in his comedy "Haji Gara" who is a lazybones recognizes that he is not Armenian to work all day with a hack in his hands.

Akhundzadeh in this play describes the Azerbaijanis as troublesome people and thieves. He describes Ohan, Sargis and other Armenians as law-abiding and virtuous people. “And what would they suggest? To put the works of Akhundzadeh in a coffin and to bury it?,” the author says.

“The second way is to understand why, in spite of our economic strength, we are not respect in the world? Have you ever thought why the Azerbaijanis are considered people from the Stone Age? The generation that is presents us in the world culture is dying out, it's not going to live forever. And in their place a generation of RABIS music is coming, with a hatchet in their hands, and famed by the trade of potatoes and onions. What should we do? Should we rally around the ax and destroy our cultural monuments, or should we respect freedom of speech and try to present a civilized society?” the author says.