Original sentence: According to this, the Muslim population of the modern territory had no ethnic identification before 1918, and called themselves only "Muslims".By 1918 approximately 60% of the population were Talysh, and Azeri Turks were around 30%.Some opponents of the above assert that it is anachronistic to use the name Azerbaijan in a historical context before 1918, because, the term was first introduced by the Bolsheviks at that time, with intention of claiming the northern province of Persia Azarbaijan.Subsequent ethnic cleansing and discrimination almost completely eliminated Talysh and Lezgi populations
Edited sentence: Despite the demonstrable antiquity of the name, some opponents of the name Azerbaijan assert that it is anachronistic to use it in a historical context before 1918, because, they say, the term was first introduced by the national intelligentsia in early 20th century and later was endorsed by the Bolsheviks, with intention of claiming the northern province of Persia.To substantiate this claim they state that till early 20th century the population of present-day Azerbaijan had no clear ethnic identification and called themselves primarily as "Muslims"