TEHRAN \u2014 New restrictions on wearing hijab in educational\ninstitutions in the Republic of Azerbaijan have sparked a reaction in\nIran, following protests in Turkey. Students from the University of\nTehran staged a protest by displaying a banner outside the Azerbaijani\nEmbassy.<\/p>\n
The WANA news agency reported that Ayatollah Mohammad Javad Fazel\nLankarani, a prominent cleric in Qom, condemned the restrictions and\nurged people in Azerbaijan to continue their protests. Users on X have\nalso criticised the measure, sharing images and videos of female pupils\nand teachers in Azerbaijan wearing hijab.<\/p>\n
The Basij student organisation at the University of Tehran responded\nto the hijab restrictions in Azerbaijani schools and universities by\nputting up a banner outside the country\u2019s embassy. It linked the\nrestrictions to the forced unveiling policy implemented in Iran under\nReza Shah Pahlavi.<\/p>\n
The banner read: \u201cOpen confrontation with Muslims will ultimately\npave the way for the Islamic Revolution.\u201d<\/p>\n
Amir Mohammad Marzani, head of the University of Tehran Basij student\norganisation, said the action was intended to express Iranian students\u2019\nopposition to the new restrictions. Referring to anti-hijab policies\nunder Reza Shah, he argued that opposing a nation\u2019s religious beliefs\ncould not be done without consequences.<\/p>\n
Ayatollah Mohammad Javad Fazel Lankarani, head of the Ahl al-Bayt\nJurisprudence Centre and a member of the Qom Seminary Teachers\u2019\nAssociation, also condemned restrictions on wearing hijab in\nAzerbaijan\u2019s educational institutions and urged the government in Baku\nto learn from Iran\u2019s experience during the Pahlavi era.<\/p>\n
Responding to reports that hijab-wearing pupils were being barred\nfrom educational institutions, forcing them to choose between receiving\nan education and wearing an Islamic head covering, Fazel Lankarani said\nthe policy was inconsistent with the religious identity of much of\nAzerbaijan\u2019s population.<\/p>\n
He stressed that hijab and education were not incompatible. He also\nvoiced support for the protests in Azerbaijan and called on\ndemonstrators to continue their movement. In addition, he urged Iranian\nofficials to respond to the restrictions and press the Azerbaijani\ngovernment to reconsider its policy.<\/p>\n
Opposition to the restrictions has also spread on social media. Users\nin Iran and abroad have shared images of pupils reportedly barred from\nschool for wearing hijab, while criticising the new dress rules.<\/p>\n
Key themes in their responses include freedom of religious\nexpression, equal access to education, and the view that hijab is not\nincompatible with academic achievement.<\/p>\n
One user shared a video showing rows of hijab-wearing pupils waiting\noutside a school, describing the situation as discriminatory and asking\nwhether secularism means banning and suppressing people, and denying\ngirls access to education.<\/p>\n
Another user highlighted what they described as growing solidarity\nbetween women who wear hijab and those who do not in Azerbaijan. The\nuser posted a video showing unveiled pupils supporting their\nhijab-wearing classmates, portraying the solidarity as opposition to\npreventing students from receiving an education because of how they\ndress.<\/p>\n
A statement by the daughter of a Nagorno-Karabakh war veteran also\nattracted attention. She said she wanted to serve her country but was\nunwilling to abandon her beliefs in order to continue working as a\nteacher. She questioned how wearing a head covering could lessen\nsomeone\u2019s love for their homeland.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/protests-against-azerbaijans-hijab-ban-spread-to-tehran-1792025440", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }