Azerbaijan, a country with a Muslim-majority population, has recently witnessed a ban on the khimar in schools, as part of new measures aimed at consolidating secular (non-religious) education and standardising regulations within educational institutions!

The media have circulated images of Muslim schoolgirls crying and screaming at the gates of schools and institutes after being expelled, in a scene that broke hearts. The decisions also sparked a wave of controversy and resentment in the country, prompting many people to take to the streets in protests and demonstrations under the slogan, “The Khimar Is Our Honour.” The authorities responded with arrests and stringent security measures!

Amid this escalating crisis, Azerbaijan’s Mufti, Sheikh Allahshukur Pashazadeh, came forward declaring his support for the ban. He stated: “The khimar is not prohibited in the country, but it is forbidden in schools because of school uniform regulations. Religion is separate from the state, and education is separate from religion”!!

He ignored the fact that the khimar is a definitive ruling of Islamic law, established by unequivocal evidence, and that there is no room for independent interpretation when a clear textual ruling exists. He thus declared himself to be on the side of those who oppose the rulings of Islamic Shariah, asserting that respecting secular law is unavoidable!

Such words should not come from an ordinary person who knows the rulings of religion that are necessarily known to all, let alone from a scholar and a mufti! His words reminded us of those who held similar positions, which the Ummah previously rejected because of their conflict with the Shariah. This was when Sayed Tantawi, the former Sheikh of Al-Azhar, issued a similar fatwa approving what France had done when its Interior Minister banned Muslim girls from wearing the khimar in schools.

O Mufti of Azerbaijan! Turbans and positions of authority do not makeulema (scholars) or men of integrity. Through your statements, you have brought disgrace upon yourself and positioned yourself in the trench of falsehood. You have no excuse for the fatwa you issued!

Is the khimar not an obligation prescribed by the Lord of all the worlds? How, then, can it be fought, and how can scholars remain silent in the face of this war?!

The khimar was previously fought against in Tunisia during the eras of the tyrant Bourguiba and, after him, Ben Ali. They both went into a deep abyss, while the khimar remained a crown upon the heads of honourable, free women. The khimar was also fought against in Turkiye for many long years, yet today the numbers of women wearing it continue to grow and grow.

So, O Ruler of Azerbaijan and O Mufti of Azerbaijan! Take heed of what has happened. By Allah, you will only cause Muslim women harm, and history will bear witness to your hostility towards the Deen of Allah. You will be cast headfirst into a deep abyss, just like those who came before you.