Protests over a ban preventing headscarfed students and teachers from entering state schools in Azerbaijan expanded this week to Istanbul, straining Ankara-Baku relations. According to IRNA, citing an Arab media outlet, the Baku government defended its new uniform rules on grounds of secularism and asked neighboring Turkey to "stay out of its internal affairs."
The dispute began on 30 August (21 September) when Azerbaijan's Council of Ministers changed school uniform regulations to prohibit clothing deemed "inconsistent with the principle of secularism"; the word "hijab" does not appear in the regulation. A second regulation approved on 6 October imposed "plain and secular" dress codes on teachers, including skirts not exceeding knee-length. ISNA reported that this step rekindled painful memories of Turkey's 1990s headscarf controversy. After enforcement began on 9 October, headscarfed students in schools in Baku, Masalli, Jalilabad, and Sumgayit were barred from classrooms; students without headscarves also boycotted classes in solidarity. Images reported by Hamshahri showed students waiting at school gates in tears, with some teachers pressured to remove their headscarves or resign. Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry announced it had detained 37 people following scuffles with school staff in Baku.
Protests spread across Azerbaijan's borders into Istanbul: a group of demonstrators gathered outside the Azerbaijan Consulate General demanding that Baku reconsider its decision. President Ilham Aliyev made a veiled criticism, saying "our way of life should not be interfered with" without naming Turkey; Ankara made no official response. Hardline outlets like Kayhan and Hamshahri portrayed the ban as a step Israel had "dictated" to Aliyev, while Hamshahri compared the ban to forced hairless and veil-removal policies from a century ago under Riza Shah.
How the Persian press covered it
| Source (orientation) | Headline / framing |
|---|---|
| IRNA (state news agency) | Cited Arab media neutrally, highlighted Baku's call not to "interfere" |
| ISNA (semi-official) | Connected Ankara-Baku tension to Turkey's own headscarf ban history |
| Hamshahri (Tehran municipality, principlist) | Accused Aliyev of "devilish" steps; reported 200-plus detentions and made Riza Shah comparison |
| Kayhan (hardline) | Presented ban as Israeli-dictated policy; reported restricted internet and 100-plus detentions |
Detention numbers and internet-restriction claims vary across sources: while Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry gave an official figure of 37, Kayhan and Hamshahri claimed 100–200 detentions; Al Jazeera wrote of "dozens" detained without specifying exact numbers. Internet restriction claims were not confirmed by independent monitoring organizations NetBlocks and OONI. Therefore these figures remain unconfirmed.
Context
Hijab controversy in Azerbaijan, where roughly 96–98% of the population is Muslim, is not new: a similar uniform restriction sparked protests and arrests in 2010–2011. According to Al Jazeera, imprisoned journalist Polad Aslanov, serving a 113-year sentence, launched a hunger strike against the new rules. President Erdoğan's September 23 remark to the UN General Assembly, "Muslim women face growing discrimination," was interpreted in Turkish and Iranian media as an indirect reference to Azerbaijan; however, Al Jazeera noted the remark was a general assessment, not specifically directed at Baku. Turkey and Azerbaijan's alliance, built on the "one nation, two states" motto, places this crisis at a sensitive diplomatic crossroads for Ankara: an official condemnation could damage strategic ties; silence may fuel street protests in Istanbul.
