Azerbaijan bars 31 Turkish nationals in hijab row

Azerbaijan barred 31 Turkish nationals from entering the country Wednesday, escalating a rare dispute with Turkey over restrictions linked to Islamic headscarves in schools.

Azerbaijan introduced school uniform rules last month barring additions deemed incompatible with secular education. The rules do not explicitly mention headscarves, but girls wearing hijabs have reportedly been turned away from schools, prompting protests.

The foreign ministry in Baku said the blacklisted people had used social media and online platforms to make statements targeting Azerbaijan's sovereignty, national security, constitutional order, people and leadership. It also accused them of calling for the violent overthrow of the government and inciting religious hatred, without citing specific posts or detailing allegations against individuals.

The list includes Fatih Erbakan, leader of Turkey's New Welfare Party; Omer Faruk Gergerlioglu, an opposition DEM Party lawmaker; and Yahya Ugras, deputy chairman of the HUDA PAR party. Journalists, bloggers, religious writers and a former official from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AKP are also on the list.

The decision follows Baku's announcement Friday that it had charged Turkish newspaper columnist Celal Ciftci with advocating a violent coup and promoting religious extremism, and had requested help from Turkish authorities.

Erdogan adviser Oktay Saral criticised the restrictions on hijabs in Azerbaijani schools. President Ilham Aliyev's ruling party accused Turkish figures of meddling in Azerbaijan's domestic affairs.

Azerbaijan and Turkey are close political and military allies and often describe their relationship as “one nation, two states”. Azerbaijan is a mainly Shiite Muslim country and is among the more secular states in the Muslim world after decades of Soviet rule.