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.
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.
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