The ghost of Soviet-era repression runs through Azerbaijan’s hijab ban

In Azerbaijan’s schools, the past few weeks have brought scenes of distress and defiance . Children have clung to their teachers in tears, as those teachers faced dismissal for wearing the hijab. Girls who refused to remove their headscarves have been turned away from classrooms. Other pupils have protested beside their classmates, and parents have demanded that their daughters be educated without surrendering their convictions. Gulshan Aliyeva , an English teacher with 23 years in the profession, was denied entry to her school in Baku. Her daughter was turned away, too. Their offence was covering their hair, in a country where the overwhelming majority of the population identifies as Muslim.