Tensions with teachers, pupils and Turkiye: Inside Azerbaijan’s hijab row

For Gulshan Aliyeva, a teacher, the debate over the hijab in Azerbaijan’s public schools has become a personal struggle that threatens her career and her daughter’s education. This week, the English teacher with 23 years of experience, went to school wearing her headscarf but was denied entry. Her daughter was also prevented from entering the high school in Baku, she told Al Jazeera. “I want to fulfil my responsibilities, educate students and continue my career without my religious beliefs becoming an obstacle to my employment,” she said. Aliyeva argued that Azerbaijan’s Labour Code, specifically Article 16, prohibits discrimination in employment in the country.