Muslim Schoolchildren Protest Against Hijab Restrictions in Azerbaijan
The interior ministry said the detentions followed school protests over uniform rules that some administrators interpreted as a ban on hijabs.
- On October 12, 2026, state schools across Azerbaijan began barring students and teachers wearing hijabs under new uniform regulations requiring compliance with the 'principle of secularism in education.'
- Government amendments introduced in July and September established these requirements, with officials arguing the measures maintain a neutral educational space free from religious division.
- Protests and class boycotts erupted nationwide; the Interior Ministry reported 37 detentions on Monday for disrupting public order, while users reported widespread inaccessibility of Instagram and TikTok.
- Turkish presidential adviser Oktay Saral condemned the restrictions as 'unacceptable,' while Azerbaijan's ruling New Azerbaijan Party rejected his comments as 'populist and irresponsible' interference in domestic affairs.
- Amnesty International's Marie Struthers condemned the 'discriminatory' exclusion and called for releasing detained protesters, as imprisoned journalist Polad Aslanov launched a hunger strike challenging the requirements.
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The past week has been full of topics, from political and media sidelines to newsworthy controversies in cyberspace, and "Deke Marheyha" has gone after the most important and controversial ones.
How hijab dispute is opening new front in Iran-Azerbaijan tensions
Iran's longstanding unease over Azerbaijan's strategic ties with Israel is spilling into a dispute over religious freedoms and Baku's position in the Islamic world, testing already fragile relations between the two neighbors.
Protests against hijab ban in Azerbaijan: Why are children involved?
Girls wearing headscarves have been turned away from schools in Azerbaijan, triggering unusual protests involving children. The government rules do not mention hijabs. Why are schools enforcing unwritten rules?
Protests have broken out in Azerbaijan after students and teachers who are supposed to sleep stoppats at the school gates. The reason is new rules that require that the dress in school is in line with "the secular character of education"
In Azerbaijan, students are excluded from teaching because of the Hijab. The government refers to secularism and national identity.
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