For Gulshan Aliyeva, a teacher, the debate over the hijab in Azerbaijan’s public schools has become a personal struggle that threatens her career and her daughter’s education. This week, the English teacher with 23 years of experience, went to school wearing her headscarf but was denied entry. Her daughter was also prevented from entering the high school in Baku, she told Al Jazeera.
Aliyeva argued that Azerbaijan’s Labour Code, specifically Article 16, prohibits discrimination in employment in the country. Last month, new rules stopped short of explicitly singling out the hijab but banned pupils from wearing clothes that violate the principle of secularism in education. Protests have erupted over the issue in a country where more than 90 percent are Muslim.
Aliyeva is among several teachers and students who have been denied entry; the Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Monday that 37 people had been detained for disrupting public order while breaking the new rules. She said she will take her case to the relevant authorities if necessary. The Baku City Education Department has announced that schools will be monitored to assess compliance.
Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, chairman of the Caucasus Muslims Board (CMB), during an interview with local media on Tuesday, said the hijab is “an important religious obligation”. While people “cannot oppose the decisions of the state” they can express their “views as citizens”, he added, but criticised protesters for disturbing schools. He also said the issue was being used for political purposes, while urging critics to address relevant ministers.
Not everyone believes the restrictions represent an infringement of individual rights. Timur Rzayev, another Baku resident, believes the controversy has been unnecessarily politicised. In his view, the government’s uniform policy should be adhered to “rather than debated”.
Rzayev opposes girls under the age of 18 wearing the hijab, saying such a decision often reflects parental preferences rather than the wishes of the children themselves. His position reflects a wider concern among some Azerbaijanis that religious practices should not mix with public education. During the Soviet era, the state restricted religious practices and did not allow people to freely observe their religious traditions.
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