2 minute read
Students and parents have held protests at several schools in Azerbaijan, demanding that girls wearing hijabs be allowed to attend classes.
According to JAMnews, the country’s Interior Ministry announced on 12 October that 37 people had been arrested in connection with incidents over the enforcement of school uniform requirements.
Students at some schools in Baku and Masalli district refused to attend classes in support of classmates who wear hijabs. Outside School No. 69 in Baku’s Balakhani settlement, protesters held a banner reading: “The hijab is not a barrier to education.”
The protests were prompted by new school clothing requirements adopted by the government on 21 September. The decision prohibits clothing items that undermine uniform consistency or do not comply with the principle of secular education. The document does not explicitly mention the hijab.
Meydan TV reported that parents and female students said school administrators were requiring girls to remove their hijabs. Separate clothing requirements for teachers were approved on 6 October, covering business-style attire and adherence to the secular nature of education.
Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry said those arrested had provoked conflicts with education staff in Baku, damaged educational institutions and attempted to obstruct their work. A criminal case has been opened under an article concerning the organisation of, or active participation in, actions that disrupt public order.