University of Shatrah organizes a protest against the ban on the hijab in educational institutions in Azerbaijan

In response to the directives of His Excellency the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Professor Dr. Haider Bahaa Al-Hassani, after receiving a message from Mr. Muqtada Al-Sadr (may God bless him), the University of Shatrah organized a peaceful protest in rejection of the decision to ban the hijab in educational institutions in Azerbaijan, confirming its position in support of freedom of religious belief, women’s right to education, and rejection of all forms of discrimination and exclusion.

The protest witnessed the presence of the President of the University, Professor Dr. Bassem Abdel Hussein Al-Ghazi, the assistants of the President of the University for Scientific and Administrative Affairs, and the deans of colleges, in addition to a group of faculty members, associates, and students, who expressed their solidarity with the female students affected by these measures, and their denunciation of everything that would prejudice religious freedoms and guaranteed human rights.

من جانبه، أكد رئيس University of Shatrah، الأستاذ الدكتور باسم عبد الحسين الغزي، أن تنظيم هذه الوقفة يأتي انطلاقاً من المسؤولية الأكاديمية والإنسانية للجامعة، وحرصها على الدفاع عن حق الإنسان في ممارسة شعائره الدينية وصون هويته الثقافية، مشدداً على أن المؤسسات التعليمية ينبغي أن تكون فضاءات آمنة تحتضن الجميع، وتكفل فرص التعليم على أساس الكفاءة والاستحقاق، بعيداً عن أي تمييز على أساس المعتقد أو الهوية الدينية.

He added that the hijab should not be an obstacle to women continuing their education or achieving their academic ambitions, stressing the importance of respecting religious and cultural diversity, and promoting the values ​​of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, in line with the humanitarian principles that make education an inherent right for all.

The University of Shatrah confirmed that this stance embodies its firm position in support of religious freedoms and basic rights, and the rejection of all practices that limit women’s right to education, based on its belief that universities are not only institutions of science and knowledge, but rather beacons for consolidating the values ​​of justice, human dignity, respect for diversity, and building a society where understanding, coexistence, and peace prevail.