{
  "id": 15748335,
  "title": "Azerbaijan revives Soviet-era repression in school headscarf ban",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/20/azerbaijan-revives-soviet-era-repression-in-school-headscarf-ban",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-20T13:38:10.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Middle East Eye",
    "slug": "middle-east-eye",
    "url": "https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/azerbaijan-revives-soviet-era-repression-school-headscarf-ban"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Azerbaijan is reinstating a Soviet-era policy, which has caused distress among Muslim students and teachers. The ban on wearing headscarves in schools has led to children clinging to teachers in tears, as the educators have been dismissed for not removing their hijabs. Girls who refused to take off their headscarves have been denied entry to classrooms. Parents have also demanded that their daughters continue to receive an education without compromising their beliefs. One English teacher, Gulshan Aliyeva, who has worked in the profession for 23 years, was denied entry to her school in Baku due to her headscarf. The dispute goes beyond school uniforms, highlighting a political system that exerts significant control over citizens' lives, including their religious practices and sense of identity. The current political system in Azerbaijan traces its roots back to Ilham Aliyev, who succeeded his father as president in 2003 after an election marred by serious irregularities. Under his rule, opposition parties have faced severe restrictions, journalists and activists have been imprisoned, and dissent has been increasingly marginalized. The Aliyev family holds a significant concentration of power, with the president's wife, Mehriban Aliyeva, appointed as first vice president in 2017. Her family has stakes in several lucrative businesses, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. The government's authority has now extended to the personal lives of its citizens, targeting even their religious expression. Despite the state's claims of authority, the traditions it seeks to regulate have a much longer history in the region. Prior to the Soviet Union's establishment, the Caucasus was part of a thriving Islamic world that produced renowned scholars, poets, and architects. Baku, in particular, became a center of Muslim reform in the early 20th century, supported by oil wealth and the efforts of reformist intellectuals who advocated for education, social change, and greater opportunities for women.",
  "summary": "Azerbaijan revives Soviet-era repression in school headscarf ban Submitted by Soumaya Ghannoushi on Mon, 10/19/2026 - 22:34 A century after the Bolsheviks set out to emancipate Muslim women by stripping them of their veils, their political heirs are treading a similar path Muslim worshippers gather outside Taza Pir Mosque in Baku during celebrations of Eid al-Fitr marking the end of the fasting…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}