Satanic Ilham
The Ilham Aliyev regime, in its latest anti-Islamic move under the guise of strict secularism, has begun enforcing the ban on headscarf-wearing students and teachers in public schools.
According to Ambassador Arjan's report, Vatan newspaper wrote today: Ilham Aliyev's latest anti-Islamic action and on the way to solve as much as possible the Muslim community of Azerbaijan in the form of strict secularism, has started the implementation phase of banning veiled students and teachers in public schools. This decision, which started with the amendment of school uniform regulations, has practically targeted the Islamic hijab and has turned the educational space into an arena for imposing secular clothing. Referring to the "principle of secularism" and "integrity of the uniform", the authorities of the Republic of Baku prevent the entry of veiled girls and teachers into the classrooms and consider this action as a step towards strengthening the national and professional identity of schools, but the field reality shows that this policy, rather than related to educational standards, is part of a long-term project to limit religious symbols in public space.
In recent days, regrettable pictures of female students have been published who were expelled from school or banned from entering the classroom for the crime of disobeying the anti-religious decision of the Aliyev regime. Teenage girls wearing headscarves stand behind closed school doors, some crying and begging to be allowed to study. "I'm a child," one student says in a video that went viral. I want to study! I also have this right." Similar scenes of veiled teachers are also seen; Women who have taught in schools for years and now have to choose between giving up the hijab and losing their jobs. In a school in Baku, students tearfully saw off their veiled teacher and hugged her. These images not only show the personal pain of people, but also reveal the depth of the conflict between the official policy and the social reality of Azerbaijan society.
The story started in July 1405; When Ilham Aliyev issued the order to strengthen the "national and secular nature" of public education. Based on this decree, the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan amended the uniform regulations of public school students on 30 September. According to this resolution, the use of any cover that "disrupts the integrity of the uniform" or "contradicts the principle of secularism in public education" was declared prohibited. A few days later, another decree (No. 325) was approved for teachers. According to these regulations, teachers were required to wear formal, simple and secular clothes; For female teachers, clothing such as suits, coats and skirts, or coats and shirts with a minimum length of skirts up to the knees were prescribed. Ambassador Arjan of Azerbaijan (APA) announced the goal of "guaranteeing a single uniform law that reflects the secular principle of the country" and maintaining "professional standards" and "public reputation of the school". It was also said that clothes that show the history, culture and national values of Azerbaijan are allowed on occasions with the approval of the Education Council.
These regulations are in continuation of the previous attempts of the Baku regime to control the veil in the educational space. In 2011, there were attempts to limit the hijab in schools, which was accompanied by protests and arrests. One of the well-known activists of that period, Abgul Suleimanov, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Now, with new official approvals, these restrictions have taken a more legal form and their scope has expanded from students to teachers. Since the beginning of this month, schools in Baku, Masali, Jalilabad, Sumqayit and the surrounding areas of the capital (such as Balakhani and Nardaran) have started strict implementation.
The recent decision of the secular government of Aliyev has not been accepted by students and families. A significant number of students, even those who did not wear hijab themselves, boycotted classes in solidarity with veiled classmates. In Baku School No. 69 (Balakhani district), students gathered with placards with the slogan "Hijab does not hinder education" and refused to enter the classroom. A similar protest took place in School No. 322 in Baku. In Maulauba village in Masali city and Jalilabad School No. 9, veiled girls were forbidden to enter and their classmates held the lesson in the open air. In Khokhmali district, parents threatened that they will not send their sons to school if the restrictions continue.
The released videos show the students saying, "If they kick us out the door, we'll go back through the window." Veiled teachers were also under pressure. In Sumqayit, there were reports of requests to resign or abandon the hijab. Zahra Hassaneva, one of the teachers, told Al Jazeera that she was informed that she could no longer wear hijab in school. Protests have also spread to cyber space and campaigns have been formed in support of veiled students. For example, some users published their pictures with hijab to show their solidarity. At the same time, access to Instagram and TikTok, the main platforms for publishing these images, has been disrupted.
During these protests, the Ministry of Interior of the Aliyev regime announced the arrest of 37 people in Baku. Authorities accused these people of "organizing actions that disturb public order", clashing with school staff, damaging educational institutions, and attempting to disrupt traffic and school activities. Some opposition sources and human rights activists emphasize that the number of detainees is more than this official figure and has even reached more than 200 people. The Republic of Azerbaijan is a country where 98% of its population consider themselves Muslims. The overwhelming majority of this Muslim population are Shiites. Meanwhile, the practical policies of the Aliyev regime have increasingly restricted religious symbols in the public space in recent years.
The path taken by the Aliyev regime is reminiscent of Reza Khan Pahlavi's policies in Iran a century ago. With the slogan of modernization and secularism, Reza Khan targeted the traditional and religious clothing of Iranian society and hypocritically suppressed the religious identity of the society under the name of progress. In the Republic of Baku, the authorities of this country limit the right of religious choice of students and teachers by falsely referring to "professional standards" and "neutral educational space". Just as during Reza Khan's era, the compulsion to remove the hijab was met with popular resistance, today Azerbaijani students show their opposition by boycotting classes and gatherings.
The contradiction of Ilham Aliyev's behavior in this context is more obvious than ever. During the Nagorno-Karabakh war, Aliyev and his wife Mehraban Alieva often went to mosques, supported the imams of the congregation, and introduced the war with Armenia in the form of Islam's battle against infidelity and the defense of Islamic lands. This use of religion as a tool to mobilize public opinion was quite evident when religious legitimacy was needed, but now that the war is over and the regime is in a better position of power, the same Aliaf draws the sword against Islamic standards and restricts religious symbols in schools, which are the most important institutions for shaping the identity of the new generation.
The de facto ban on headscarves in Azerbaijan's schools has not only affected the right to education for hundreds of students, but has sparked a wider debate about the limits of secularism and religious freedom in a Muslim-majority country. Critics cite international documents such as Article 18 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognize the right of parents to religiously educate their children and the right of children to education. How the hijab exactly disrupts the learning process and why the ban from entering the classroom is considered as a punishment, while the official decree does not foresee such a punishment. At the diplomatic level, this issue has created tensions.
The rally in front of the Azerbaijani consulate in Istanbul and the media reactions in Türkiye caused Aliyev to warn Ankara "not to interfere in our lifestyle" without directly naming Ankara. Meanwhile, Türkiye and Azerbaijan have close strategic relations. Until this moment, the regulations are still being implemented and supervision is left to school administrators. The exact number of students deprived of education and teachers under pressure is not known, but pictures and field reports show that this policy has faced serious resistance in the social layer. By claiming to preserve secularism, the Aliyev regime is actually testing the tolerance limits of the Muslim society of the Republic of Azerbaijan; A society that has been oscillating between its religious identity and government pressure for years.