In late September, Azerbaijan approved new school uniform rules, including a ban on “items inconsistent with the principle of secularism.” Inspections soon began at schools, and girls wearing hijabs were barred from classes. Protests broke out in Baku and other cities, with schoolgirls and their classmates demanding that everyone’s right to an education be upheld. On October 12, 37 people were detained in Baku. The Interior Ministry said protesters had tried to “grossly disrupt public order.” Meanwhile, users began reporting that they could not access TikTok and Instagram — the country’s two most popular social networks. Here’s a closer look at what is happening in Azerbaijan and what may be behind the ban.
Azerbaijan’s Cabinet of Ministers introduced the new school uniform rules in a September 21 decree. The decree prohibits “wearing items of clothing that disrupt the uniformity of the prescribed school uniform,” as well as clothing that is “inconsistent with the principle of secularism in general education.”
The decree does not explicitly mention hijabs. But during school inspections that began on October 9, girls with their heads covered were barred from classes, even though the decree does not authorize such measures. Female teachers were also required to remove their headscarves, Jam News reported.
Protests then broke out in Baku and other Azerbaijani cities. At some schools, boys also refused to attend classes in solidarity with girls wearing hijabs. In a village in Baku’s Sabunchu district, students protested with a sign bearing the slogan: “A hijab does not stand in the way of an education.”
A source at a Baku school told the BBC that boys in the upper grades were also required to shave their beards — even though, like hijabs, beards are not mentioned in the cabinet decree.
Videos of the protests appeared on social media. One shows students trying to smash school windows. The Telegram channel Minval Politika reported that a school principal’s car had been set on fire in the Garadag district.
On October 12, Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry said it had detained 37 people for actions “grossly violating public order.” The ministry said “a group of individuals” had created “a conflict situation” with school staff over “compliance with a uniform dress code” and damaged schools. Authorities opened a criminal investigation into allegations of organizing acts that disrupted public order, an offense punishable by up to three years in prison. The ministry provided no further details, and it is unclear whether any of those detained are minors.
As the protests unfolded, Azerbaijanis began reporting that they could not access Instagram and TikTok — the country’s two most popular social networks. Some users could access them only through a VPN. Some directly link the disruption to the protests, although the authorities have not confirmed blocking the platforms.
Azerbaijan has seen protests against a hijab ban before. Jam News reported that a similar protest took place outside the Education Ministry in May 2011 and led to a criminal investigation. That same year, authorities detained activist Abgul Suleymanov, who was known for taking part in protests against the hijab ban. He was later sentenced to 11 years in prison on charges he denied.
The reasons for the current ban are unclear, the BBC reported. Neither the cabinet nor the Education Ministry has explained them or responded to journalists’ inquiries. Journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, a critic of the authorities, believes that hijabs pose no problems but that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev “needs the specter of radical Islam to strengthen his hold on power.”
Supporters of the authorities, by contrast, see the ban as part of “strengthening the sovereignty of a country trying to free itself from the influence of other states.” It is unclear what influence they mean, but many believe Aliyev was referring to Turkey when he recently spoke about countering ideological interference from abroad, the BBC reported. On October 3, protesters gathered outside Azerbaijan’s consulate in Istanbul to demand an end to the ban on wearing hijabs in Azerbaijani schools.
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