A dispute over Islamic headscarves in Azerbaijani schools has triggered protests at home and an unusual exchange of criticism between politicians in Azerbaijan and Turkey, two countries whose leaders routinely describe their relationship as that of "one nation, two states". The row has raised questions about religious freedom, sovereignty and the limits of Turkish and Iranian influence in the south Caucasian country.
The unprecedented protests have been taking place across Azerbaijan for a nearly week. Children have demonstrated against the headscarf ban introduced at schools. Among those rallying outside of schools are girls who wear Islamic headscarves; others, including boys, have joined classmates in solidarity.
Rallies in general are rare in a country where police routinely disperse any public protests. But demonstrations involving children are unprecedented in Azerbaijan. As the videos showing the protests started spreading on social media, access to Instagram and TikTok was disrupted in the country, indicating how seriously the authorities are taking the issue. Internet monitors documented blocks; the authorities have not explained their cause.
School rules interpreted as a hijab ban
The dispute follows a series of legal changes. On July 7, Azerbaijan amended its general education law, reinforcing the principle of secular education and requiring pupils and teachers to comply with dress codes. On September 21, the government adopted Resolution No. 309, tightening school uniform rules.
The resolution prohibits additional clothing that disrupts the standard uniform or conflicts with secular education. It does not explicitly mention the hijab ― a Muslim headscarf covering the hair and neck ― or instruct schools to exclude pupils wearing one. But some school administrators have interpreted the rule as applying to hijabs and turned girls covering their heads away. The regulation gives each school's pedagogical council responsibility for resolving compliance issues.
A separate decision on October 6 set dress requirements for teachers. Reports followed of women wearing headscarves being prevented from teaching.
Secular education and religious freedom
Azerbaijan is a predominantly Muslim country, but Article 18 of its constitution separates religion from the state and requires state education to be secular. Articles 42 and 48 protect the right to education and freedom of conscience.
Supporters of the schools' actions say the same dress rules should apply to all pupils. Critics argue that excluding girls because of religious clothing violates their rights. The dispute cuts across conventional political divisions: some government critics support the restrictions, while some non-religious Azerbaijanis oppose them. School headscarf restrictions also prompted protests in 2010 and subsequent years.
Families and teachers describe the impact
A Baku literature teacher with 40 years of experience, said that girls wearing headscarves were not admitted to classes at the teacher's school. Some removed their scarves; others went home or wanted to study at home. The teacher, who didn't want to be identified by name and provided only the initials M.C., supported enforcing the uniform rules, arguing that children were too young to make decisions about religious dress.
A parent identified as D.A. told DW this was not a nationwide hijab ban, but a matter of school uniforms. Another parent who opposed the restrictions withdrew an interview before publication.
Facebook user Sarraf Cabbarov from Baku posted on his social media account that his daughter Sevil, a primary school teacher in Azerbaijan's capital, was dismissed for refusing to remove her headscarf. He also published a school order issuing her a written warning under the new dress regulations.
Detentions and reactions in Azerbaijan
On October 12, the Interior Ministry said 37 people had been detained in connection with the protests. According to the ministry's statement, the group had confronted school staff, damaged property and attempted to obstruct school activities and traffic. A criminal case was opened under Article 233, concerning disruption of public order. The ministry did not identify those detained or say whether they included children.
Artist and activist Ilkin Huseynov went missing after launching a project linking volunteer tutors with pupils affected by the restrictions. Local media later reported, citing people close to him, that he had been given 30 days of administrative detention for allegedly disobeying police orders.
Some observers linked the introduction of the new rules for school uniform to the attempts by the Azerbaijani government to counter the influence of neighboring Iran and the growing strength of religious groups within the country. This interpretation is, in essence, echoed by government officials as well, although they stop short of explicitly naming Iran.
Fazil Mustafa, who chairs the Committee for Public Associations and Religious Institutions at Azerbaijan's parliament, said the authorities were concerned about religious groups influenced from abroad and defended the school rules. Allahshukur Pashazade, head of the Caucasus Muslims Office, also warned of outside interference but called for a peaceful solution. The alleged foreign involvement has not been independently established.
Amnesty International condemned the exclusion of girls wearing hijabs and called for the release of anyone detained solely for protesting peacefully.
Dispute reaches Turkey
The controversy has also drawn criticism in Turkey, Azerbaijan's close ally. Protesters gathered outside Azerbaijan's consulate in Istanbul on October 3. Oktay Saral, an adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, criticized the restrictions,saying it's unacceptable to deny education to students wearing headscarves. Azerbaijan's ruling New Azerbaijan Party replied that close relations did not justify interference in its internal affairs.
For affected families, the immediate question remains whether children can attend school without removing their headscarves.
Sinem Demir contributed reporting.
Edited by: Carla Bleiker