Hawzah News Agency- Videos circulating on social media show girls waiting outside school walls and teachers tearfully bidding farewell to their students, reigniting debate over freedom of belief and the right to education.
Many argue that school uniforms should not become a pretext for depriving girls of education.
Background of the Ban
Azerbaijan's cabinet approved amendments to school dress code regulations on September 21, a move officials describe as reinforcing the secular aspect of public education. The new rules prohibit wearing anything added to the school uniform or clothing that contradicts the unified school uniform, or that authorities deem to violate the principle of secular education.
The amendments followed a decree by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in July regarding the implementation of unified uniforms in public schools. However, enforcing this in a country with a Muslim-majority population sparked fresh debate over the limits of school dress codes and their relation to hijab freedom.
Tears and Exclusion
The tears of teachers and students were not merely fleeting moments of farewell; these scenes revealed the depth of the crisis inside schools. Girls and teachers who wore the hijab were barred from entering, triggering angry protests and reactions and bringing the issue of freedom of belief and the right to education back to the forefront.
An Azerbaijani teacher recounted being asked to remove her headscarf before tearfully saying goodbye to her students. She stressed that the hijab is not an obstacle to performing her professional duties and affirmed her commitment to defending her rights and children's right to education without abandoning her religious principles.
The consequences of this dispute were not limited to teachers. Social media users reported that hijab-wearing students were barred from entering school, and videos and images published by activists showed girls waiting outside school walls or in courtyards after being unable to attend classes due to their hijab.
Protests in Schools
As the dispute spread, students in several schools showed solidarity with classmates and teachers who were barred from entering due to their head covering, with some chanting slogans demanding freedom to wear the hijab.
Activists also published images and videos of hijab-wearing students, expressing dissatisfaction that religious covering is being used as a pretext to deprive girls of education.
Some social media posts reported that students were given until the beginning of the week to decide about the hijab, alongside claims of pressure on them, including warnings that adhering to the hijab could affect their academic future.
News that the mother of one of those killed in the Karabakh war was barred from entering a school due to her hijab also sparked reactions from social media users.
Hijab and Freedom of Belief
Amid these developments, criticism intensified on social networks over what activists call "restricting freedom of belief in Azerbaijan." They demanded clarification of the reasons for the hijab ban in educational centers and guarantees of the right of students and teachers to practice their religious rites without facing exclusion or deprivation of education.
Some bloggers argued that wearing the hijab should not be a pretext for depriving girls of education, stressing that the right to education should not conflict with freedom of belief and that school rules should not become a tool for excluding students because of their religious choices.
The dispute also extended to the role of women's rights organizations. Users questioned their position on barring hijab-wearing individuals from entering school, arguing that defending women's rights and their freedom of choice should include those who have chosen the hijab of their own free will.
As the debate intensified, users reported internet slowdowns in Azerbaijan, particularly on platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and other applications that allow video exchange.
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