Azerbaijan School Headscarf Ban Fuels Protests and Diplomatic Row

Rare protests have erupted in Azerbaijan after the education ministry began enforcing new uniform rules that bar female pupils from wearing Islamic headscarves. The move has sparked demonstrations outside state schools in the capital, Baku, and several southern districts, leading to detentions and a diplomatic dispute with Turkey, a key ally.

The new regulations, approved on September 21, prohibit clothing that contradicts "the principle of secularism in education" in state schools. While not explicitly mentioning the hijab, the rules have been interpreted to include it, with similar guidelines extended to teachers on October 6.

Videos circulating on social media show teenage girls challenging school staff and holding banners, with one reading, "The hijab does not prevent anyone from getting an education." The interior ministry reported detaining 37 individuals on the first day of enforcement for attempting to obstruct the rules and "grossly violate public order."

Shahiza Huseynova, a mother protesting outside a school in a Baku district, was detained and reportedly warned that she would face imprisonment if she did not remove her child's hijab. Activist Ilkin Huseynov, who launched an online platform offering free lessons to barred pupils, has also gone incommunicado, with friends believing he has been detained.

Authorities have defended the policy. Nigar Arpadarai, a Member of Parliament, stated that children do not choose to wear the hijab themselves, suggesting they are influenced by their families and lack the freedom to choose a religion, which she described as an adult prerogative.

Protests have been concentrated in religiously conservative neighborhoods on Baku's outskirts and in southern regions bordering Iran. The government has historically been wary of religious influence from Iran, where a significant ethnic Azerbaijani population resides.

In a separate incident, Azerbaijan's State Service for Special Communications and Information Security reported that over 100 state websites were attacked by a "foreign hacker group" on October 13, with a pro-Iranian group claiming responsibility.

The dispute has strained relations with Turkey, Azerbaijan's closest ally. Turkish presidential adviser Oktay Saral called the restrictions "unacceptable" and urged Baku to "reverse this mistake," stating, "A headscarf is not an obstacle; it is a requirement of one's faith!" Several Turkish MPs from the governing AK Party have echoed these sentiments.

In response, Azerbaijan's ruling New Azerbaijan Party accused Turkish officials of conducting a "defamatory" information campaign and warned that such comments risked harming bilateral ties. President Ilham Aliyev has cautioned against interference in Azerbaijan's internal affairs.

Some Turkish protesters have linked the headscarf rules to Azerbaijan's close ties with Israel, a major arms supplier to Baku and a significant buyer of Azerbaijani oil. Azerbaijan has sought to maintain relations with both Israel and Turkey, a difficult balancing act that was underscored when delegations from Turkey, Iran, and other nations walked out during an address by Israel's President Isaac Herzog at a regional security summit in Baku.