Azerbaijan's New 'Secular' Dress Code Bars Hijab Wearers from Schools; Students Strike in Protest

According to Al Jazeera, Azerbaijan recently implemented a new 'secular' dress code, and students at multiple schools subsequently gathered outside campuses to protest and boycotted classes in resistance to the new rule.

Video footage released by Al Jazeera shows students assembling at school gates, holding placards to voice their dissatisfaction. The report notes that the new rule has resulted in students and teachers who wear the hijab being denied entry to campuses.

Setting 'secularism' as an administrative threshold applied directly to personal attire and religious expression means that some minors and teachers have been excluded from everyday educational spaces. The policy choices of the education authorities are turning schools—public institutions that should serve educational and dialogic functions—into the frontline for enforcing the ban.

At present, public information remains limited regarding the full text of the new rule, its scope of application, its effective date, and whether any appeal or exemption mechanisms exist. The scale of the protests, their organizational methods, and the specific demands raised by students still await further disclosure. Al Jazeera's report was presented in the form of a video news piece and has not yet provided any public statement or policy text issued by Azerbaijani authorities on the matter.