Growing Protests Against the Hijab Ban in Azerbaijani Schools

Hawzah News Agency- The protests began after reports that girls wearing Islamic headscarves had been denied entry to public schools. Videos shared on social media showed students gathering outside school buildings and demanding that their classmates be allowed to attend lessons.

The first video of protests over restrictions on hijab-wearing students emerged from Jalilabad, in southern Azerbaijan, before spreading to the capital Baku and the surrounding villages. Videos also began to emerge from Sumgait, a city neighbouring Baku.

The protests have taken various forms, including demonstrations outside schools and messages expressing support for the hijab on social media and Azerbaijani manat banknotes.

The hijab issue has previously triggered protests in Azerbaijan. In 2010–2012, restrictions on wearing headscarves in educational institutions led to demonstrations and arrests.

The issue has remained sensitive ever since, particularly among religious groups and families who consider wearing the hijab an important part of their faith.

The current protests are notable because public demonstrations are rare in Azerbaijan, where unsanctioned gatherings face significant restrictions. The involvement of school students also brings the issue beyond religious groups, raising broader questions about access to education and how secular rules are enforced.

Right after Azerbaijan’s adoption of the new dress code, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke at the UN General Assembly stating that banning the hijab in schools in certain unnamed countries was unacceptable.

Subsequently, Oktay Saral, a chief adviser to Erdoğan, described the refusal to allow hijab-wearing students to attend classes in Azerbaijan as unacceptable in a post on X.

‘How can it be morally or legally justified to turn away a student at the school gate because she covers her head for religious reasons? The hijab is not an obstacle; it is a requirement of faith! The right to education must not be sacrificed to ideological impositions!’, Saral wrote.

Source: oc-media.org