“Recently, the issue of hijab in Azerbaijani secondary schools has come to the agenda. Regarding this, I specifically want to state that a person’s love for God is determined not by performing religious rituals, but by serving humanity. Islam is the religion adhered to by the people living in Azerbaijan and is a part of our spiritual life.”
This was stated to Redaktor.az by the Secretary General of the Justice, Rights, Democracy Party (JRDP), Niyaməddin Orduxanlı.
He also emphasized that God loves and rewards those who benefit others, not those who demonstrate their piety to people:
“Being religious does not yet mean being a person of God. We have read a lot about the Inquisition courts held in churches, once considered houses of God in some Western countries, and the terrible tortures inflicted. In modern times, we also witness cases of sexual abuse of young boys by clergy in some churches. There is a lot of information about all these happening under the guise of religion.
During the occupation of Karabakh, we also saw how justice and truth were trampled under the guise of religious fanaticism. Over the last 32 years, we have witnessed the displacement of one million Muslim Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani Turks, from their homes, the destruction of thousands of houses, and numerous casualties. Infants, women, and innocent civilians were murdered. We have witnessed the destruction of our mosques and Islamic monuments, and acts of vandalism. We have also seen how our co-religionists defended us during all these processes. We have lived through the pains and sorrows of these events with great sadness. Those who exploit religion for political purposes by radicalizing irreligious people and those who abuse religion will answer to the Great Creator.”
Niyaməddin Orduxanlı believes that the main issues to be discussed in schools are the quality of education and problems in the system:
“Instead of discussing whether children in fourth, fifth, or other grades of secondary schools, who have not yet reached the age of maturity, should have their heads covered, we should focus on more important issues. Only in developed societies are higher values established, and serious guarantees are created for the protection of human rights and freedoms.”
Our interviewee also spoke about the position of forces in Turkey that commented on the issue of school uniforms in Azerbaijan.
“Today, among the 195 countries in the world, there is no second country as close, friendly, and brotherly to Turkey as Azerbaijan. This is unequivocally so. We address the functionaries of the ruling AKP in brotherly Turkey. The supporters of this party mainly consist of religious segments living in the provinces.
Through your press organ, we want to state that the implementation of a uniform school uniform does not mean restricting freedom of religious belief. It is not right to present this issue in Azerbaijan in this way. Human rights and freedoms are not limited solely by freedom of religious belief. In Turkey, a legal state, there are also serious problems in the areas of building civil society and protecting human rights. Today, the issues I have listed in brotherly Turkey are indicators of those problems.”
The Secretary General added that disagreements between Azerbaijan and Turkey should be resolved through dialogue, without harming mutual relations:
“The human rights situation in Azerbaijan has not seriously concerned Turkey, including the Erdoğan government, until now. If there is a disagreement with the Azerbaijani authorities on any issue today, it should be discussed and resolved at the table, not in a way that harms relations. Two brotherly states should come together, discuss these issues, and find a common solution. We do not have time to take steps that will please our enemies. This is our party’s stance on the issue. The Justice, Rights, Democracy Party unequivocally supports the government’s decision to implement a uniform school uniform.”
Niyaməddin Orduxanlı also proposed the inclusion of the kelaghayi, a sample of national clothing, into the uniform school dress code:
“At the same time, we propose that the issue of including kelaghayi, a sample of our national clothing, in the uniform school dress code be considered. Kelaghayi is our national value that our grandmothers, mothers, and ladies have used for centuries. In this regard, we call on the Cabinet of Ministers and the government to consider this proposal. Such a request has also been put forward within our board of directors.”