Azerbaijan school headscarf rules: 37 arrested in Baku protests, ruling party clashes with Erdogan's AKP

Azerbaijan's new school dress rules, which schools have used to keep girls in headscarves out of class, have set off rare street protests in Baku, 37 arrests and an open row with Turkey, Azerbaijan's closest ally. On Tuesday 13 October the governing New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AK Party of using the dispute to sow division, Turkish Minute reported.

What the rules say

• 21 September: the Cabinet of Ministers amended the uniform rules for state schools. Pupils may not wear clothing that conflicts with the prescribed uniform or with the secular character of education. The text does not name the hijab, but some schools have enforced it as a ban, AFP and Turkish Minute reported.
• 6 October: similar requirements were extended to teachers' clothing. Teachers in Baku and Sumgait were reportedly told to remove their headscarves or resign.
• 12 October: schools began checking compliance. Pupils who arrived in clothing that breaks the rules were sent for talks with school doctors and psychologists and their parents were called in, Meduza reported, citing the APA agency.

Officials say the rules are about a neutral classroom, not faith. Lawmaker Sevinj Fataliyeva said the aim is a space where children are not split into "religious" and "non-religious" groups, and Zahid Oruj, who chairs parliament's human rights committee, told Al Jazeera there is no ban on headscarves outside school. Azerbaijan's constitution defines the state, and its education system, as secular.

Protests and arrests in Baku

Protest is rare in Azerbaijan. On Monday 12 October pupils demonstrated outside schools and boycotted lessons, AFP reported. The interior ministry said people confronted school staff, damaged schools and tried to disrupt classes, and that 37 people were arrested after a criminal case was opened for disturbing public order. Meduza, citing the ministry via local media, reported that a school director's car was set on fire in Garadagh district and that protesters tried to set a school alight in Yasamal; no one was hurt. The charge carries up to three years in prison.

The same day, users across the country reported trouble loading Instagram and TikTok, with some getting through only by VPN, AFP reported. No official explanation was given.

Not everyone has opposed the rules on the street. Al Jazeera reported that the head of the Caucasus Muslims Board, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazade, criticised protesters for disrupting schools and said the issue was being politicised, while also calling the hijab an important religious obligation.

The row with Turkey

Turkey is Azerbaijan's closest ally, which makes the public clash unusual.

• Late September: Erdogan told the UN General Assembly that school headscarf bans attack women's rights. He named no country; Turkish officials told Middle East Eye he meant France and Austria.
• 2 October: President Ilham Aliyev told a YAP convention in Baku that "everyone should know their place" and that Azerbaijan needs no one's patronage, without naming Turkey.
• 7 October: AKP spokesman Omer Celik said the two presidents have "a true brotherly relationship" and that groups attacking Azerbaijan in Turkey were not linked to the party or the government.
• 13 October: YAP called comments by Erdogan's adviser Oktay Saral and AKP lawmakers, who had urged Baku to reverse the rules, "irresponsible" and populist, and called on the AKP government "to refrain from this harmful policy".

What happens next

The rules remain in force and schools in Baku are being monitored for compliance, Al Jazeera reported. Opposition REAL party leader Natiq Jafarli has suggested a compromise for primary pupils and said adult teachers should not face dress restrictions. Ankara says it wants to settle the dispute quietly through talks between the two governments.