IQN (NewsDesk): Azerbaijan’s new school dress rules have triggered rare street protests at home and a diplomatic dispute with its closest ally, Turkey, after headscarf wearing girls and teachers were reportedly turned away from classrooms.
The rules, approved by the cabinet of ministers on September 21 for students and on October 6 for teachers, do not mention the hijab by name but ban clothing that contradicts the principle of secularism in state schools. Protests broke out after some pupils and teachers wearing headscarves were refused entry. Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry said 37 people had been detained in connection with the incidents, and internet access was reportedly restricted at times.
The row escalated when Azerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party accused Turkish presidential adviser Oktay Saral and lawmakers from Turkey’s ruling AK Party of stoking artificial tensions and interfering in its domestic affairs. Saral had said preventing headscarf wearing students from studying was unacceptable. The party stressed that Azerbaijan is a constitutionally secular state.
Turkish officials have since moved to calm the dispute, saying Ankara has no intention of interfering and that people protesting in Turkey acted on their own initiative. The tension is a test for the two countries, which often describe their bond as one nation, two states.
