AhlulBayt News Agency: The resolution introduces nationalism and secularism as principles in the country’s general education legislation. It stipulates that students must not wear clothing that conflicts with the uniformity of official school attire or the secular character of state education. Although the text does not explicitly mention the hijab, educators and religious figures have interpreted the rules as effectively restricting Islamic head coverings in schools.
The controversy intensified after reports and videos circulated showing hijab-wearing students being denied entry to schools and female teachers being prevented from continuing their duties until they removed their headscarves. Subsequent government measures, including a regulation issued on October 6 concerning teachers’ dress, further emphasized the requirement that clothing comply with secular principles in the education system.
The dispute has escalated in Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority country whose constitution establishes the separation of religion and state while recognizing freedom of religion. Demonstrations have taken place outside several schools, with protesters chanting slogans in support of students and teachers who wear the hijab. Reports have also emerged of more than 30 opponents of the measure being detained on charges of “disturbing public order.”
Among those reportedly detained is Azerbaijani cleric Abgül Süleymanov, who has been held in administrative detention since late September.
Türkiye’s criticism puts ‘one nation, two states’ principle to the test
The involvement of Turkish officials in criticizing Azerbaijan’s school dress policy has introduced a new source of tension between the two neighboring countries, which frequently describe their close ethnic, cultural and historical ties through the slogan “one nation, two states,” associated with former Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev.
Last Monday, Oktay Saral, a senior adviser to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, wrote on X that denying hijab-wearing students access to education was unacceptable. He argued that the hijab was not an obstacle but an expression of religious belief, urging Baku to correct what he described as a mistake as soon as possible.
Saral also warned of efforts to undermine relations between the two countries while reaffirming their commitment to the principle of one nation and two states.
Omer Celik, spokesperson for Türkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), likewise acknowledged differences with Azerbaijan over the hijab issue. Speaking at a news conference, he said that when disagreements arise, they should be expressed honestly while bilateral relations continue.
Criticism has also come from Turkish opposition parties, including some that previously supported restrictions on the hijab in official institutions in Türkiye. Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, former leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), called on Azerbaijan’s leadership to allow women to exercise their freedom and choose what they wear.
In a further development, Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry announced that Erdoğan would not attend the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), which opened in Baku on Thursday. Erdoğan had attended the two previous summits, held in 2019 and 2022. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was scheduled to represent him at the latest gathering.
The announcement came amid the dispute, although no official link between Erdoğan’s absence and the hijab controversy was established in the ministry’s statement.
Baku rejects what it calls interference in domestic affairs
Azerbaijani officials have responded angrily to the criticism from Türkiye, describing it as interference in the country’s internal affairs.
President Ilham Aliyev said that other countries should respect boundaries and refrain from interfering in Azerbaijan’s affairs or dictating how its people should live. He urged foreign governments to concentrate on the concerns of their own citizens and countries.
The media office of Azerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) also condemned what it described as Turkish interference, accusing some Turkish media outlets and news platforms of spreading misleading information that, according to the party, disregarded Azerbaijan’s constitutional structure and legal framework for religious freedom.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the party said the campaign against the Azerbaijani government had become increasingly hostile and systematic. It warned that actions of this kind could damage relations between the two countries.
The party also criticized comments by Saral and several AKP lawmakers, describing them as populist and irresponsible and arguing that they ran counter to the spirit of brotherly relations between Azerbaijan and Türkiye.
“Secularism and state education policy should not become subjects of political manipulation,” the party said, adding that the principle of one nation and two independent states did not give either side the right to interfere in the other’s domestic affairs or impose its political and ideological preferences.
Baku alleges political motives behind protests
Azerbaijan’s Media Council and Broadcasting Council have also warned against what they describe as attempts to politicize the hijab issue in schools and turn it into a religious confrontation. They have raised concerns about allegedly fake accounts and the manipulation of information from abroad.
Azerbaijani parliamentarian Aghil Abbas, writing in the newspaper *Musavat*, defended the restrictions as a state decision and argued that they should not be subject to outside interference.
“If certain forces or countries, such as Türkiye, seek to interfere in our affairs, they will be held accountable for their actions,” Abbas wrote.
He described protests outside Azerbaijan’s consulate in Istanbul as provocative and questioned Saral’s right to comment on Azerbaijan’s internal affairs. Abbas also asked whether Azerbaijan had ever intervened in Türkiye’s domestic affairs or those of other countries, answering that it had not.
The lawmaker further claimed that the Istanbul demonstrations were not primarily intended to defend the right to wear the hijab, but rather to promote a particular ideology within Azerbaijan.
“We are a secular country, neither Islamic nor Christian,” Abbas said.
The dispute has exposed differing interpretations of secularism, religious freedom and national sovereignty, while testing the limits of the close partnership between Baku and Ankara. Whether the controversy leads to a broader diplomatic rift will depend in part on how both governments manage their disagreements while maintaining their longstanding bilateral ties.
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