TEHRAN – Iran has invited Azerbaijani girls to pursue higher education at Iranian universities amid restrictions on wearing headscarves in schools in the neighboring country.
In a video message released on Thursday, Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Hossein Simaei-Sarraf, announced that Iranian universities were open to Azerbaijani girls seeking to continue their education while observing their religious dress.
“As the minister of science of the Islamic Republic of Iran, I declare that the doors of Iranian universities are open to girls from Azerbaijan who wish to pursue their studies,” he said.
“We can be good hosts to the devout daughters of the Holy Prophet who are being forced to abandon their religious hijab in order to exercise their right to education,” Simaei- Sarraf added.
The invitation comes amid restrictions imposed by Azerbaijani authorities on additional clothing that conflicts with prescribed school uniforms or the secular principles of education. Although the rules do not explicitly mention the hijab, videos circulating online suggest that they target headscarves.
Earlier this month, the Baku City Education Department announced inspections to monitor compliance with the measure among students and teachers. The restrictions have drawn criticism on social media, with users describing them as religious discrimination against the country’s Muslim-majority population.
The measure has also prompted protests, with some teachers reporting that schools had asked them to remove their hijabs or resign.
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