Azerbaijan has banned Risaleyi-Nur, a collection of books by Said Nursi, founder of Turkey’s Nursi movement, private APA news agency said.

The ban is effective December 2012, according to the report.

The State Committee for Work with Religious Structures did not answer phone calls or emails seeking comment.

The ban comes amid reports of mounting pressure on followers of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.- based Turkish imam. Police raided Nursi gatherings in Baku and the regions after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Azerbaijan on April 4.

Erdogan has accused the Gulen movement of seeking to undermine his government.

Bakudaily.az