Parents and students in Azerbaijan are protesting Azerbaijan's new rules on school uniforms following reports that schools were turning away girls wearing hijabs as the dispute over religious freedom and secular education escalated in the Muslim-majority country.
The amendment, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on September 21, prohibits clothing deemed as violating the requirements for school uniforms or conflicting with secular education principles.
The hijab is not explicitly mentioned, leaving schools to interpret how the rules apply.
Parents in Baku and elsewhere say school administrations have told girls to remove their head scarves or barred them from classes. Some students have boycotted lessons.
The Interior Ministry said on October 12 that 37 people had been detained for refusing to comply with the new rules and attempting to disrupt public order.
Protecting Children Or Infringing On Their Rights?
The dispute has escalated an already heated debate in Azerbaijan over whether restricting religious dress in schools protects children from pressure or infringes on their rights.
"Children are still in the formation stage. Their worldview, choices, and decisions are often determined by the influence of the family and environment," said Elnara Akimova, a lawmaker from the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP), who supported the tightened rules.
She told REE/RL that the amendments were intended to provide a neutral educational environment.
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Central Asia's Hijab Debate Flares Up As Schools ReopenBut critics argue that the vague application of the rules creates an unnecessary barrier to a child's right to an education.
Gulmira Aslanova, a parent in Baku, told RFE/RL that the administration of School No. 172 in the capital's Narimanov district told her to send her daughter to school without a head scarf.
She said the restrictions conflicted with constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and education.
"In our country, secondary education is compulsory, and every student must study at school," Aslanova said, adding that those who prevent children from studying should be held accountable.
Parents in the southern town of Jalilabad made similar complaints.
Sociologist Sanubar Heydarova said children should continue attending school while the legal dispute is resolved. She argued that their right to education should not come at the expense of their cultural identity.
Recurring Dispute
The controversy echoes a 2010 dispute over school uniforms that did not accommodate the hijab. Hundreds protested in Baku that December, and police broke up subsequent rallies. The controversy continued into 2011.
Azerbaijan's constitution defines the country as secular while also safeguarding religious freedom. But the government of the oil-rich nation of some 10.5 million maintains tight control over religious activity.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), an independent federal commission, recommended in its 2026 annual report that Azerbaijan remain on the State Department's Special Watch List for "severe violations of religious freedom."
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Tajikistan Expands Crackdown On Head Scarves, Beards In New Push For 'National Culture'USCIRF head Vicky Hartzler argued the country should instead be designated a Country of Particular Concern.
"Azerbaijan outwardly claims to support religious freedom, yet inwardly does the opposite," Hartzler wrote.
She cited government control over religious activity, including the appointment of imams, approval of religious materials, requirements on the registration of churches, and state involvement in writing sermons for Muslim services.
Regional Debate Over Religious Dress
The dispute has drawn condemnation in Turkey, Azerbaijan's close ally.
Protests were held outside Azerbaijan's consulate in Istanbul, while an adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said it was "unacceptable" to deny the right to education for students wearing a hijab.
"We expect Azerbaijan to reverse this mistake as soon as possible," the adviser, Oktay Saral, wrote on X.
Azerbaijan's ruling party condemned Saral's comments as "irresponsible" and warned they risked harming relations between the close allies.
On social media, some recalled Turkey's own restrictions on head scarves at universities and in public institutions that were gradually lifted between 2010 and 2017.
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Where Did Iran's Hijab Police Go?The hijab has been a point of contention in the region in recent years.
In Iran, a historic protest movement Women, Life, Freedom erupted in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old student, in police custody after being arrested for an allegedly "improper hijab."
The movement rapidly transformed from a grievance over state-mandated Islamic dress codes into the most significant challenge to the Islamic republic since the 1979 revolution, fundamentally changing the dynamic between the Iranian public and the ruling regime.
Meanwhile in Central Asia, staunchly secular governments have banned or restricted head scarves in schools and workplaces, prompting criticism from Muslim citizens and rights defenders.
Officials in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have been condemned for organizing raids on the streets that targeted women wearing hijabs.