Azerbaijan's education ministry began enforcing new uniform rules last Monday, turning away female pupils wearing hijabs. The rules, approved on 21 September, ban clothing that contradicts "the principle of secularism in education" in state schools, without explicitly mentioning the hijab. Similar guidelines were extended to teachers on 6 October.
Footage shared widely on social media shows a teenage girl in a navy blue hijab challenging a staff member at her school entrance, asking why she should have to give up her religion. Other girls in hijabs can be seen applauding behind her. Protests have taken place outside state schools in the capital Baku and in southern districts including Masally and Jalilabad.
The interior ministry said it had detained 37 people on Monday who tried to obstruct the rules and "grossly violate public order". Protests are rare in Azerbaijan, a constitutally secular country of about 10.5 million people where President Ilham Aliyev has ruled since 2003 with little tolerance for dissent. Opposition politicians and many independent journalists are in jail.
The ban has also triggered a diplomatic row with Turkey, Azerbaijan's closest ally. The two countries share close linguistic and cultural ties but differ on religious traditions: over 60% of Azerbaijan's population are Shia Muslims, while most Turks are Sunni. Turkey has criticised the move, with Turkish officials publicly rebuking the decision.