Azerbaijan's School Hijab Ban: What Changed and Why It Matters
Azerbaijan approved last month an amendment that bars school clothing violating the 'principle of secularism,' indirectly banning hijab for students and staff. Al Jazeera
The state-run APA said the amendment to the Descriptions of Uniforms for Students of State General Education Institutions is meant to keep one dress code for all schools, in line with the country's secular principle. Secular here means the state keeps religion separate from public institutions like schools. The same decision allows clothing tied to Azerbaijan's history, culture, and national and moral values for celebrations, but only with approval from the Pedagogical Council under the Ministry of Science and Education. The rule is broad. It applies to both pupils and personnel.
Enforcement has started in classrooms. Teacher Zahra Hasanova told Al Jazeera she was told she could no longer wear hijab at school. Hijab-wearing students were kept out of classes at several schools after the decision, according to reporting by OC Media. Pupils protested the new code, as shown in footage from October 10-11. Students in at least two schools boycotted classes over the restrictions.
The dispute has spread beyond schools. Imprisoned journalist Polad Aslanov, who is serving a 113-year sentence after a 2020 high treason conviction, started a hunger strike over the new school dress rules. Demonstrators gathered outside Azerbaijan's consulate in Istanbul to protest the restrictions and urge authorities in Baku to reconsider. Reports of internet blackouts linked to the protests have not been confirmed by data from Open Observatory of Network Interference and NetBlocks.
Leaders have spoken in strong terms. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev warned not to 'interfere with our lifestyle' in a speech at his New Azerbaijan Party congress. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in his September 23 address at the UN General Assembly that Muslim women were facing increasing discrimination. Azerbaijan's constitution describes the country as secular and also guarantees religious freedom. About 96 percent of the population identifies as Muslim.
The broader context here is how Baku handles the gap between those two constitutional promises. For officials, secularism has long meant the state sets limits on religious expression in public institutions, especially schools. For observant families and teachers, those limits feel like a curb on religious freedom. Schools sit at the center because both claims meet there: the state's wish for uniformity and the individual's practice of faith.
Looking at what this means for diplomacy and calm at home, three questions matter. First, whether enforcement stays in schools or points to wider dress rules. Second, whether boycotts and consulate protests grow into lasting organization or fade after expulsions and warnings. Third, how Baku balances its secular legal tradition with ties to Ankara and with religious communities at home, especially when outside statements describe the issue as discrimination. The answers will affect classroom access soon and state-religion bargaining over time.
