Iraq rejects barring students over hijab

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's Education Ministry on Wednesday rejected practices that prevent female students from wearing the hijab or restrict their personal choice of dress, saying it respects personal freedom and human dignity.

Freedom of dress and appearance is a form of personal expression, the ministry said in a statement, and respect for cultural diversity and social customs reflects core human values, free from discrimination, exclusion or harm to the rights of others.

The Iraqi statement came amid an escalating dispute over school hijab restrictions in Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority country of about 10 million people that is often described as one of the most secular in the Muslim world. In September, Azerbaijan's government approved new school uniform rules banning items "inconsistent with the principle of secularism." The rules do not mention the hijab by name, but since October 12, pupils and teachers wearing it have been turned away from schools, according to Amnesty International.