School headscarf ban sparks rare protests in Azerbaijan

Last Monday, Azerbaijan's education ministry began turning away girls wearing hijabs at state schools under new uniform rules. Protests followed in the capital, Baku, and in southern districts including Masally and Jalilabad.

Detained on the first day

37 people

The interior ministry said it detained 37 people on Monday who tried to obstruct the rules. A mother protesting outside a Baku school was detained on Tuesday, and friends have lost contact with an activist who offered free lessons to barred pupils.

A child has no freedom to choose a religion. This is a conscious prerogative of adults.

— Nigar Arpadarai, Azerbaijani MP

The row has reached Turkey, Azerbaijan's closest ally: the Turkish president's chief adviser called the rules unacceptable. President Ilham Aliyev's party accused Turkish officials of a defamatory campaign and warned against interference.