Protest outside Azerbaijan’s embassy in London against hijab ban in schools

Dozens of people gathered outside the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Holland Park, west London, on Friday evening, 16 October 2026, to protest against the Azerbaijani government’s ban on the hijab in educational institutions.

The protesters said they were standing in solidarity with Muslim women and girls who wear the hijab, and in support of their right to practise their faith and continue their education without pressure or discrimination.

The protest was organised by the Association of Students Activism for Palestine (ASAP) and its partners. Protesters rejected the decision, saying it restricts female students’ freedom to choose what they wear and express their religious identity. They said wearing the hijab is a right and should not be a reason to deny a woman an education or force her out of school or university.

Fadel Soliman condemns the ban

Several activists spoke at the protest, including Islamic preacher Fadel Soliman. He strongly condemned the ban, saying it goes against the teachings of Islam and that Muslims who support such a decision are acting against their own faith.

ASAP President Nusaiba Mohamed and student Osama Ghanem also addressed the protest, along with several other students. They rejected the ban and called for respect for freedom of belief and the right to education.

They urged the authorities not to impose restrictions that prevent female students from living according to their religious convictions.

People of different faiths stand with hijab-wearing women

The protest brought together activists from different faiths and backgrounds. They said they were defending a woman’s right to choose what she wears, whether she chooses to wear the hijab or not, free from coercion and state interference in her personal choices.

Speakers said that a woman’s freedom does not mean forcing her to wear the hijab, nor does it mean preventing her from wearing it. Instead, they argued, it means respecting her wishes and her right to make her own decisions.

They said banning the hijab in schools and universities restricts students’ religious and personal freedoms and forces them to choose between their beliefs and their education.

Solidarity with hijab-wearing women was at the heart of the protest. The protesters’ message was that a woman’s right to education should not conflict with her right to practise her faith, and that the hijab should not be used as a reason for discrimination or exclusion.

Weekly protests until the ban is lifted

Protesters said they would return to the embassy every Friday until further notice, calling for the ban on the hijab in educational institutions to be reversed.

The protests are part of a wider solidarity campaign aimed at pressuring the Azerbaijani government to end the ban, respect the rights of hijab-wearing students and guarantee their right to education without having to give up their religious dress.

Participants stressed that defending women who wear the hijab is not only a Muslim issue. They described it as a question of freedom, dignity and human rights.

Respecting women, they said, begins with giving them the right to choose, rather than imposing decisions that prevent them from practising their faith or limit their opportunities to learn and participate in society.