The Bursa Voluntary Organizations Platform has called on Azerbaijani authorities to immediately lift restrictions preventing students and teachers from entering educational institutions wearing headscarves, stressing that no Muslim woman should be forced to choose between her religious convictions and her right to education or work.

The platform made the call during a public statement outside Bursa’s historic Ulu Mosque, where participants gathered to protest restrictions on the wearing of headscarves in schools in Azerbaijan. Yusuf Özgör read the statement on behalf of the group.

Emphasising the importance of religious freedom and respect for Islamic values, the platform urged Azerbaijan to learn from Türkiye’s past experience with headscarf restrictions and avoid repeating policies that, it said, caused deep social harm.

‘No one should be deprived of education because of their faith’

Özgör said Azerbaijan, a predominantly Muslim country, should uphold the religious rights of its citizens and ensure that no one faces discrimination because of their beliefs.

“Muslim women’s headscarves are a requirement of their faith. No one can or should be deprived of the right to education or other public rights because of their beliefs,” he said.

He argued that preventing women and girls from accessing educational institutions because they wear the headscarf undermines fundamental rights and places an unjust burden on people seeking to practise their religion.

The platform called on Azerbaijani authorities to reverse the restrictions and guarantee equal access to education and employment, regardless of religious dress.

Azerbaijan urged not to repeat Türkiye’s past

Referring to Türkiye’s 28 February period, when headscarf restrictions affected women’s access to education and public institutions, Özgör urged Azerbaijani authorities to draw lessons from the country’s recent history.

“Learn from what Türkiye experienced in its recent history,” he said, warning against measures that marginalise people because they remain committed to their religious values.

He stressed that protecting religious freedom was essential to social harmony and respect for the beliefs of Muslim communities.

‘People cannot be separated from their values’

Özgör also rejected attempts to separate people from their religious, historical and cultural identities, arguing that pressure on religious expression would not erase deeply rooted beliefs but could instead deepen divisions within society.

The platform criticised what it described as inconsistent approaches to religious freedom and called for equal treatment of all communities.

Concluding its statement, the Bursa Voluntary Organizations Platform expressed solidarity with students and teachers affected by the restrictions and urged Azerbaijani authorities to protect religious rights and freedoms.

The group stressed that access to education and employment should not be made conditional on abandoning religious practices, calling for an approach that respects both human dignity and the Islamic values embraced by much of Azerbaijani society. (ILKHA)