Politics · 2026-10-20 · Afternoon briefing

Azerbaijan bans headscarves in schools, reviving Soviet-era curbs

A new ban on headscarves in Azerbaijan's schools has led to teachers facing dismissal and girls being barred from classrooms. In the capital, Baku, English teacher Gulshan Aliyeva, a 23-year veteran, and her daughter were recently denied entry to their school for covering their hair. The policy is being enforced in a country where the overwhelming majority of the population identifies as Muslim.

The directive from President Ilham Aliyev's government recalls the religious repression of the Soviet period. After the Red Army invaded in 1920, the state moved to crush religious practice; the number of active mosques in Azerbaijan plummeted from 1,369 in 1928 to just 17 by 1933. The historic Bibi-Heybat Mosque was demolished entirely in 1936.

Mr Aliyev, in power since 2003, appointed his wife as vice president in 2017, cementing a dynastic grip on the state. The result is a striking contrast: a dynasty that commands the nation's politics and wealth now finds itself challenged by schoolgirls who refuse to uncover their hair.

Summary written by Cup of News with AI from the sources below. Check the originals for the full story.

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• Azerbaijan ban on headscarves in schools opens rift with ally Turkey
• Azerbaijan seeks arrest of seven people in Turkey over criticism against school headscarf ban
• Azerbaijan: conflict over headscarf ban at schools
• Students in Istanbul call for lifting headscarf bans in Azerbaijani schools
• Turkey-Azerbaijan ties face test over school headscarf ban

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