Students at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) have staged a protest against a dress-code regulation in Azerbaijan that reportedly prevents students wearing headscarves from entering school, describing the measure as an attack on religious freedom and the right to education.

The students gathered outside the İTÜ Mosque carrying banners in support of the headscarf and chanting slogans including “Freedom for the Hijab.” They then marched before holding a press conference to condemn the restrictions, which reportedly came into effect on September 21.

Reading a statement on behalf of the students, Mehmet Urhan said the restrictions imposed on Muslim girls and teachers in Azerbaijan amounted to religious discrimination and threatened the educational future of young people.

“Those rusty locks have been fastened not only to the door of a building, but to the future of the ummah,” Urhan said, referring to reports that headscarf-wearing students had been turned away at school gates.

He said Muslim girls who wanted to pursue their education while observing the requirements of their faith, along with teachers wearing headscarves, were being denied access to schools because of their religious beliefs.

Urhan described the situation as particularly painful given the close ties between Türkiye and Azerbaijan, commonly expressed through the motto “One nation, two states.”

He argued that preventing students from attending school because of their headscarves undermined religious freedom, the right to education and the spiritual values of Azerbaijani society.

Students Condemn Restrictions on Religious Freedom

Urhan said the protest was intended to challenge what he described as hostility toward Islam and attempts to force Muslim students to choose between their faith and their education.

He drew parallels with previous headscarf restrictions in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, arguing that similar policies had been used to exclude observant Muslim students from educational institutions under the justification of secularism and modernity.

“Those who today reach out to the headscarves of our girls in Azerbaijan will suffer the same humiliation,” he said.

Urhan added that Islam, faith and the sacrifices of those who had given their lives for their homeland were integral to the region’s identity, describing restrictions on the headscarf as an affront to the religious convictions of Azerbaijani Muslims.

‘The Headscarf Is Not a Piece of Cloth’

Addressing Azerbaijani decision-makers, Urhan questioned how a society could build a brighter future while preventing girls from receiving an education because of their religious beliefs.

“The headscarf is not a piece of cloth! The headscarf is a woman’s chastity, honour, personality, and the unshakable fortress of these lands,” he said.

He argued that the state had a responsibility to protect citizens’ freedom of belief and ensure that religious observance did not become a barrier to education.

Urhan also condemned the reported restrictions as incompatible with universal human rights, religious freedom and the rule of law.

Call for Immediate Restoration of Students’ Rights

Concluding the statement, Urhan called for the immediate and unconditional restoration of educational rights for all students affected by the restrictions.

He stressed that seeking knowledge was an obligation for Muslim women and men alike and said no student should be forced to compromise their faith to attend school.

“Our politics is not the politics of power and domination, but the politics of justice, mercy, and the dignity of Islam,” he said.

Addressing headscarf-wearing students and teachers in Azerbaijan, Urhan expressed solidarity with them and urged them to remain steadfast in defending their rights.

“You are never alone!” he declared, adding that their struggle concerned not only access to education but also religious freedom and the dignity of the Muslim community.

The İTÜ students pledged to continue raising their voices until the restrictions were lifted and every student could enter the classroom without being forced to choose between education and religious conviction.

“The education rights of all our students whose rights have been usurped must be restored immediately and unconditionally,” Urhan said. (ILKHA)