A recent measure by the Azerbaijani government barring hijab-wearing students and teachers from schools has sparked condemnation worldwide, with social media users denouncing it as the religious persecution of the country's Muslim-majority population.
Last month, Azerbaijan’s cabinet of ministers adopted a resolution that prohibits items of clothing that allegedly violate uniform school dress code requirements and contradict the principle of secular education.
Earlier this month, the Baku City Education Department announced inspections to check whether students and teachers comply with the measure.
An Azerbaijani veteran who lost an arm in the Karabakh War protested his hijab-wearing daughter’s expulsion from school:
— Turgay Evren (@TurgayEvren1) October 11, 2026
“Did I sacrifice my arm for a hijab ban? Those who wage war against Allah can never win!” pic.twitter.com/8zaSbfan1T
Although the ban does not explicitly mention the hijab, videos circulated online indicate that it applies specifically to headscarves.
Heartbreaking scenes at Richard Sorge School No. 90 in Baku, Azerbaijan, as students hug their teacher and break down in tears after she was reportedly dismissed for wearing the hijab. 💔
— • (@Alhamdhulillaah) October 10, 2026
The incident comes amid new dress code restrictions introduced for students in Azerbaijani… pic.twitter.com/ObAQ5atn9L
Some of the videos show students hugging their teachers and crying as they were turned away from classes.
An Azerbaijani mother whose daughter was denied entry to school because of her headscarf:
— Islamic Scientific Heritage (@IslamicSH_) October 12, 2026
“There is room for Armenians, room for Jews, but why is there no room for Islam?” pic.twitter.com/xlMzMtvUkA
The ban has sparked protests, with teachers saying that some schools were demanding that they remove their hijabs or resign.
Muslim teacher in Muslim-majority Azerbaijan told she can't work because she wears a hijab.
— پوپلزی (@JournalismPopal) October 10, 2026
Why do the people who make these kind of policies even pretend they believe in Islam? https://t.co/b1S69ubhxB
A social media user said in an X post, “There is a flaw in the mindset behind these decisions and deep-seated hatred in their hearts toward every Islamic symbol.”
🔴 Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority country, takes its secularism to extremes & prohibits not only female students but also female teachers from wearing the hijab in schools!!
— د.عبدالله العمادي (@Abdulla_Alamadi) October 9, 2026
What does the hijab have to do with education?
I don’t know !
But I do know that there is a flaw in the… pic.twitter.com/jwzc2sBhJI
Another user said the driving forces behind the ban are the US and Israel, as the two regimes want Baku to “serve as a de-Islamized intelligence outpost for monitoring and countering Iran.”
The user also described Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev as a “proxy for Tel Aviv and Washington in Baku.”
🇦🇿|Azerbaijan's Students embrace their teacher one last time; she was dismissed from the school for wearing a headscarf, October 10, 2026 | Baku
— Aprajita Nafs Nefes 🦋 Ancient Believer (@aprajitanefes) October 10, 2026
In the footage, students surround their teacher. They are embracing her. For the last time.
Because she wears a headscarf. The school… pic.twitter.com/KNWzSiiF8o
Another user slammed Aliyev for disrespecting Azerbaijani citizens “like their voice doesn't mean anything.”
Azerbaijan, I love you. But this is grotesque and indefensible.
— Turkish Century (@TurkishCentury) October 7, 2026
Dear @presidentaz #IlhamAliyev, you rule a nation that is 98.8% #Muslim. At least 1 in 5 women in modern-day Azerbaijan wears a headscarf despite decades of Soviet brainwashing and oppression.
Having inherited the… pic.twitter.com/dI7uU4nZRL
Tural Abbasli, leader of Azerbaijan’s White Party, exposed the government’s double standards, saying, "Jews are free to wear the kippah, yet Muslims are forbidden from wearing the hijab."
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