Azerbaijan tightens dress codes in schools... Reports of banning veiled women and escalating protests

Azerbaijan - Ofoq News - New decisions regarding the dress code in public schools in Azerbaijan have sparked widespread controversy, after reports that veiled female students and teachers were prevented from entering educational institutions, which led to protests and a boycott of classes in some schools.

According to a report published by the newspaper “Israel Hayom”, on September 21, the Azerbaijani government approved amendments to the rules of school uniforms, prohibiting the wearing of clothing that conflicts, according to the official text, with the principle of secularism in education or with the uniformity of school uniforms, without explicitly mentioning the hijab.

However, local reports indicated that some schools prevented veiled female students from entering classrooms, while female teachers were asked to remove their head coverings to continue their work. The newspaper quoted teacher Zahra Hasanova as saying that she had been informed that she would not be able to teach wearing the hijab, considering that wearing it was a personal choice.

The implementation of the instructions sparked a wave of anger on social media, as clips spread showing students in solidarity with female teachers, and there were reports that students in at least two schools boycotted classes to protest the restrictions.

On October 6, the government expanded the dress code to include educational staff, requiring that clothing be clean, tidy, simple, and professional, in keeping with the secular nature of education.

On the other hand, the Azerbaijani authorities deny imposing a general ban on the hijab or niqab. The newspaper quoted MP Jeyhun Mammadov as saying that the restrictions are limited to the school environment and include other appearances, such as short skirts, dyed hair, long nails, and sports clothing.

The protests spread to Türkiye, where protesters gathered in front of the Azerbaijani consulate in Istanbul to demand the abolition of restrictions. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also indirectly warned against attempts to interfere in his country's way of life, without mentioning Türkiye by name.

The crisis revolves around the gap between the text of the resolution, which does not explicitly ban the hijab, and what was reported about its application to female students and teachers who wear it, amid controversy over the limits of school uniform rules and freedom of belief.