BAKU: A row over the hijab has broken out in Azerbaijan, one of the world’s Muslim-majority countries, after reports that female students and teachers wearing the headscarf are being turned away from schools. The reports have triggered debate over religious freedom and secularism in education, and raised questions over why such restrictions are being applied in a country where about 96 percent of the population identifies as Muslim.
The government amended its school uniform regulations on September 21. The revised rules bar clothing that departs from the prescribed dress code and require that attire conform to the secular principles of the national education system. They do not mention the hijab by name. According to reports, however, enforcement has meant that some students and teachers wearing the hijab have been refused entry to schools, leading to protests and class boycotts in some places.
Teacher Zahra Hasanova told Al Jazeera she was deeply distressed after being told not to wear the hijab. She said whether to wear a headscarf is a personal decision, and that the choice to remove it one day should likewise be her own.
Local media reports said students at no fewer than two schools boycotted classes in protest. Videos of tearful female students being denied entry, and of students embracing and weeping with their teachers, have circulated widely on social media.
The government says all students should follow a uniform dress code and that the education system must remain secular. It says teachers, too, should dress in a manner suited to their profession and the school environment. Officials say the September 21 changes were meant to apply uniform dress rules in line with the country’s secular education policy. A further decision concerning teachers’ attire was taken on October 6.