The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, receives his Israeli counterpart Isaac Herzog in Baku on Oct. 14, 2026. (Credit: Photo released by the Israeli government)
The controversy quickly spilled over across the border. After Azerbaijan decided in late September to tighten dress-code rules for students and teachers in the name of secularism, several women wearing headscarves said they had been denied entry to their schools. Beyond the domestic controversy, this decision reverberated as far as Turkey, Azerbaijan’s longtime ally. Azerbaijan now appears to be seeking to step out of the shadow of its “big brother,” with whom it disagrees on several issues, notably relations with Israel.The decision on headscarves follows earlier attempts by the Azerbaijani authorities to regulate religious expression in this secular, predominantly Muslim country. “However, the decree excludes hijab as a dress not suitable for school without naming it,” notes Javadbay Khalilzada, a PhD student at Kent State University....
The controversy quickly spilled over across the border. After Azerbaijan decided in late September to tighten dress-code rules for students and teachers in the name of secularism, several women wearing headscarves said they had been denied entry to their schools. Beyond the domestic controversy, this decision reverberated as far as Turkey, Azerbaijan’s longtime ally. Azerbaijan now appears to be seeking to step out of the shadow of its “big brother,” with whom it disagrees on several issues, notably relations with Israel.The decision on headscarves follows earlier attempts by the Azerbaijani authorities to regulate religious expression in this secular, predominantly Muslim country. “However, the decree excludes hijab as a dress not suitable for school without naming it,” notes Javadbay Khalilzada, a PhD student at Kent State...
