Women, Girls Rally in Beirut in Solidarity with Hijab-Wearing Students in Azerbaijan

Women, Girls Rally in Beirut in Solidarity with Hijab-Wearing Students in Azerbaijan
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A group of women and girls gathered outside the headquarters of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) in Beirut on October 16, 2026, to express solidarity with hijab-wearing students in Azerbaijan and protest restrictions affecting their access to education.

The demonstration was organized by the Imam al-Mahdi Scouts. Participants called for the protection of the right to wear the hijab and for respect for religious freedom and the educational rights of Muslim girls. The rally came amid controversy over Azerbaijan’s revised school dress-code regulations, which do not explicitly mention the hijab but have reportedly been used by some schools to prevent headscarf-wearing students from attending classes.