Al-Yaqoubi urges Azerbaijan to reverse ban on veiled students

Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, a senior religious authority, has called on the government of Azerbaijan to immediately reverse its decision banning veiled female students from attending schools. In a statement issued on the occasion of World Chastity Day, which coincides with the birth anniversary of Lady Zainab bint Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon them), he expressed deep pain and sorrow over depriving these students of their legitimate right to education. He stressed that correcting the decision would constitute a virtue, an act of courage and a wise stance that would safeguard the country's interests and stability.

Sheikh al-Yaqoubi described the scenes of veiled female students being forcibly removed from their classrooms while shedding tears, and their classmates standing stunned at school gates, as reflecting the extent of the pain caused by the decision. He noted that the decision may also apply to veiled female teachers, questioning what crime these women had committed to be deprived of their right to education. He added that using the secular nature of the state as a pretext for banning the hijab raises questions about the compatibility of such a measure with citizens' freedom and their right to adhere to their religion, particularly since the hijab is neither an alien nor an anomalous phenomenon in Azerbaijani society. Rather, Islam forms an integral part of its identity. He cited the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family): "Chastity is the head of all good."

Al-Yaqoubi expressed hope that the President of Azerbaijan had seen the painful scenes, which, he said, no compassionate father would accept for his daughters. He suggested that the decision may have been interpreted by school administrations in a manner that was not intended by the higher authorities, stressing that the institutions responsible should be held accountable for this grave wrongdoing if that was the case. He emphasized that fatherhood is among the most important qualities of a successful leader, citing the Prophet's (peace be upon him and his family) instruction to Amir al-Mu'minin Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him): "O Ali, you and I are the fathers of this nation." He called on President Aliyev to emulate this quality, noting that the veiled female students are daughters of Lady Fatima al-Zahra (peace be upon her) and follow her path of chastity and religious commitment.

Sheikh al-Yaqoubi questioned how such a decision could be accepted in a country where Muslims constitute 96 percent of the population, noting that Muslims had previously rejected a similar decision when it was issued by a European country known for its hostility toward Islam. In this context, he said that targeting chastity represents one aspect of the conflict waged by Iblis and his devils against humanity since the beginning of creation. He cited Quranic verses describing Satan's temptation of Adam and Eve and the exposure of their private parts, stressing that preserving chastity is not limited to an individual matter but is connected to the religious and moral values of society. The religious authority stressed that reversing the decision would not constitute any diminution of the state's standing or a weakening of its authority. Rather, he said, it would demonstrate virtue, courage and wisdom, help contain the anger of the Muslim Azerbaijani people, prevent any tensions or sedition that some may seek to provoke, and preserve Azerbaijan's history, Islamic authenticity and long-standing scholarly heritage. According to Mehr News, the statement was issued on World Chastity Day.