AhlulBayt News Agency: The leader of Iraq’s Sadrist movement issued a strongly worded statement regarding the ban on hijab in the Republic of Azerbaijan’s schools.
Muqtada al-Sadr emphasized, “I do not interfere in the internal affairs of this Muslim country; however, as those who enjoin good and forbid evil, we bear a responsibility before God to offer reminders, express our views, and provide counsel.”
He added, “Such decisions represent a form of secular extremism equivalent to the extremism of Daesh (ISIL or ISIS). These decisions fuel, encourage, and stoke the fires of extremism in your country—a nation we hope would serve as a model of moderation and balance. It is strange that secularists imagine secularism implies hostility and opposition to Islam and legislation based on Islamic principles, whereas secularism is supposed to be grounded in freedom and non-interference with personal liberties. If you believe that the decision to ban the hijab will open the door to secularizing society and liberating women from the constraints of modest dress and the hijab, you are mistaken.”
Al-Sadr also said this decision will increase Western and Israeli dominance over the Republic of Azerbaijan.
He described this move as a political decision, emphasizing that it was taken with the aim of sidelining moderate Islam and consolidating secular control over the government.
Pointing to the experiences of other nations, he added that achieving this goal is merely an illusion; other countries—such as Tunisia—had previously pursued a similar path by banning the hijab, fasting, and the like. Turkey also took measures in this regard but eventually lifted the bans as the number of women wearing the hijab increased.
Noting the rise in the number of women wearing the hijab following the imposition of restrictions in other countries, al-Sadr urged the authorities of the Republic of Azerbaijan to learn from those experiences, stressing that the consequences of such decisions should not be ignored.
His remarks came after the implementation of new dress regulations in Azerbaijani schools.
Students and parents have protested in several schools, demanding that veiled girls be allowed to attend classes.
New regulations, passed in September, restrict clothing that officials say is incompatible with the principles of secularism and the uniformity of school uniforms. Reports say some school principals have asked students and teachers to remove their hijabs.
These protests come as Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in response to criticism, had previously said that others should not interfere in the country’s way of life.
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