EKHO Newspaper,
8, February 2008

An Azerbaijani MP has said that a provision on a headscarf ban at universities has been removed from the new draft education law.

In an interview with Russian-language Ekho newspaper on 8 February, MP and the head of the standing parliamentary commission on science and education, Samsaddin Haciyev, said: "The issue of a ban on wearing headscarf at universities has been resolved. This provision has been removed from the new draft law 'On education'."

Haciyev added that "from now on, every university will independently define forms and attributes of clothing".

Asked about his own personal opinion about the issue, Haciyev did not support the idea, adding that "Azerbaijan is a secular and civil state. I think, this is undesirable in the education system".

Ekho quoted the former chairman of the parliamentary commission on science and education, Sahlar Asgarov, as saying that it was illogical at all to ban headscarf at universities, and in the meantime, to be indifferent to the appearance of miniskirts there.

"Otherwise, it comes out that the Azerbaijani government welcomes those who take off clothes and negatively approach those who wear," the former MP said.

The parliamentary discussion of the provision of the new draft education law caused serious disagreements among MPs in late December 2007, Ekho reported. It quoted Speaker Oqtay Asadov as saying in parliament then that the ban on wearing headscarf in education institutions cannot be indicated on the education law.