Full Breakdown
Azerbaijan’s School Uniform Rules Spark Nationwide Hijab Protests
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
School administrators have turned away girls wearing Islamic headscarves and dismissed teachers who refuse to remove theirs. The enforcement triggered demonstrations by students, parents and teachers in Baku and several southern districts. Police responded with arrests, and access to Instagram and TikTok was disrupted nationwide.
Background & Context
Azerbaijan’s constitution separates religion from the state (Article 18) and guarantees freedom of conscience (Articles 42 & 48). On July 7 the parliament amended the general-education law to reinforce secular education and require compliance with dress codes. The Cabinet adopted Resolution No. 309 on September 21, tightening uniform rules for pupils, and a decision on October 6 extended comparable requirements to teachers. Similar disputes erupted in 2010-2012.
Timeline
- July 7 – Amendment to the general-education law.
- September 21 – Adoption of Resolution No. 309.
- October 3 – Demonstrators gather outside Azerbaijan’s consulate in Istanbul.
- October 6 – Dress-code decision for teachers issued.
- October 9 – Baku City Education Department announces monitoring of compliance.
- October 12 – Interior Ministry reports 37 detentions.
- October 13 – Six minors detained on suspicion of arson.
- October 14 – Activist Aga Huseynov reports his wife’s arrest.
- October 13 2026 – State Service records a cyber-attack on more than 100 government domains.
Data & Statistics
- 37 people detained on October 12 (official count).
- Activists claim > 200 detentions overall.
- 6 minors detained on October 13 for alleged arson.
- The cyber-attack affected ? 100 state domains; a hacker group cited the hijab restrictions as motivation.
Official Statements & Responses
The Interior Ministry framed the arrests as actions against “disruption of public order” under Article 233. The ruling New Azerbaijan Party warned external criticism should not interfere with “internal affairs” and defended the policy as upholding secular education. Parliamentary committee chair Fazil Mustafa linked the rules to concerns about “religious groups influenced from abroad.” Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade denied a hijab ban exists, called for a peaceful resolution, and attributed the protests to “unnamed forces” exploiting religion.
Criticism & Opposition
Human-rights groups have condemned the exclusions. Amnesty International called for the release of anyone detained solely for peaceful protest and labeled the practice “discriminatory.” Critics argue that barring girls for wearing a hijab violates the right to education and freedom of religion.
On-the-Ground Reports
Video footage shows pupils hugging teachers dismissed for wearing headscarves. Activist Ilkin Huseynov, who launched a tutoring project for excluded students, disappeared after unidentified individuals visited his home. Parents reported that children were forced to remove the hijab or stay home, leading to class boycotts and empty classrooms.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Detention figures differ: 37 (official) vs. over 200 (activists).
- The cause of the Instagram/TikTok outage remains unconfirmed.
- Allegations of foreign (Iranian or Turkish) involvement in the protests and cyber-attack are unverified.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The right to education should not be sacrificed to any ideological impositions,” — Oktay Saral, Turkish presidential adviser
- “A public school is not a madrasa, but an educational institution with its own charter, mandatory for all. If the rules do not allow wearing a hijab, then they must be followed. And why has religion increasingly become a reason for disputes, especially in schools? Faith is a personal matter, but common rules should be the same for everyone,” — Nana Abshilava
What’s Next
The Ministry of Education has announced ongoing monitoring of school compliance, and the Interior Ministry says investigations into the cyber-attack are continuing. No formal legal challenge to the uniform rule has been reported yet, but human-rights organizations have pledged to pursue the matter through international channels.
