A resident of Azerbaijan faced pressure due to publications about the school dress code.

The wife of a convicted activist in Azerbaijan received a demand from security forces to delete social media posts about the ban on wearing hijabs in schools and about her child's exclusion from classes.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", opponents of the hijab ban in schools are being persecuted in Azerbaijan. For instance, Fizuli Guseynov, a resident of the Absheron district, was sentenced to 30 days of arrest for holding a picket on October 14 demanding the repeal of the ban. Previously, his son received the same punishment for protesting against the ban.

Shahana Gasanova, the wife of Agali Yahyaev, who was sentenced to seven years in prison, stated that she received a call from the police of the Absheron district regarding the videos she posted on social media.

She explained that a police officer demanded she delete the videos filmed near the school. According to Gasanova, she replied that there was nothing illegal in those recordings, after which the caller named her home address and hung up, Meydan TV reports today on its website.

Shahana Gasanova noted that after this incident, she no longer feels safe. She explained that since the hijab ban in schools was introduced, she accompanies her daughter to school every day and posts on social media about her child being excluded from classes. The publication was unable to obtain a comment from the police department.

It is worth noting that the 13-year-old daughter of the convicted Baku journalist Polad Aslanov refused to comply with the hijab ban in school despite pressure from teachers. Security forces threatened her mother with imprisonment for supporting protests against the school dress code.

In September, the Azerbaijani government made changes to the rules regulating the appearance of students in public schools. Now, students are prohibited from wearing clothing items that violate the unified dress code or do not correspond to the secular nature of education. On October 6, the cabinet also approved similar requirements for the appearance of teachers. The texts of the relevant resolutions were published on "Caucasian Knot".

The reform aims to completely eliminate religious, ethnic, and socio-economic differences in educational institutions, the authorities explained. Although the official statement does not mention the hijab, it is implied under clothing that is "not in accordance with the secular nature of education", particularly noted by the rights defender of believers, Arzu Abdulla. The exclusion of schoolgirls and teachers in hijabs from classes violates the right to education and the principle of secularism, political scientists noted. The attendance of girls in hijabs at schools does not pose a threat to the secular nature of Azerbaijan, as religion does not have a defining influence on the social and political life of the country, pointed out, in particular, the orientalist and political scientist Zardusht Alizade.

Restrictions on wearing hijabs may increase tensions between the state and the religious part of society. The actions of the authorities are possibly linked to political concerns - in particular, the desire to prevent the use of religious discontent by external forces, analysts indicated earlier surveyed by "Caucasian Knot".