Strains between long-standing allies have become a familiar part of world politics, and they are now surfacing in the South Caucasus. Turkey and Azerbaijan, whose leaders like to describe their bond as “one nation, two states,” are quarreling over religious dress, national sovereignty, and accusations of political interference.
The spark was a school dress code. On Sept. 21, Azerbaijan amended its school uniform rules to ban clothing that conflicts with the prescribed uniform or with the secular character of public education. The rules never mention the hijab by name, but schools have turned away some girls wearing headscarves, and some teachers have reportedly been turned away as well. Protests followed, and Azerbaijan’s Interior Ministry said 37 people were detained for disrupting public order.
