Azerbaijan is to counter the threat of religious fanaticism by teaching older secondary pupils about the world’s major religions from September.

The former Soviet republic in the Caucasus, whose traditional faith is Shi’ite Islam, has released advance copies of a new school textbook, Foundations of Religion, to be used on the course which will be taken by the top three classes of secondary schools.

According to the Azerbaijani State Commission for Religious Affairs which published the book, its purpose is not to promote but to inform pupils about the “foundations and true aims” of the major world religions, in particular Christianity and Islam.

According to the State Commission, teachers for the courses will be recruited from graduates of the State University of Baku and the University of the Caucasus who have taken courses in the history of religion, plus graduates of the Islamic University of Baku.

Even before the events of September 11, the governments of the Caucasian and Central Asian CIS states had been increasingly concerned about the security threat posed by religious fanaticism.

During the past few months there has been a general clampdown on groups and publications liable to foster ethnic and religious hatred. The Azerbaijani customs service has seized more than 100,000 such publications - both militant Islamic and fundamentalist Christian tracts.

The civil authorities have also curbed the activities of a militant Islamic preacher and are keeping an eye on some new fundamentalist Protestant communities.