Azerbaijan expels students who wear Islamic headscarves from school
The government has banned religious clothing for students and teachers since September. Schools are enforcing the rule by expelling hijabis.
Central Asia
Kazakhstan threatens to close private schools that allow hijab
The Minister of Education toughens the message against the school hijab and recalls that the rule also obliges private centers.
Kazakhstan has already fined more than 1,600 women for wearing a burqa or niqab.
From January 2026, the police may fine women who reoffend after a first warning. The fines are €80, equivalent to half the monthly minimum wage.
Kazakhstan wants to get rid of TikTok imams
The government will investigate Islamic preachers who deliver sermons online. It considers that the digital mosque spreads messages contrary to national values.
Muslim leaders in Russia and Central Asia call for ban on niqab and urge against praying in the street
Muftis from Russia and Central Asia describe the niqab as a radical import and recommend that believers be respectful in the use of public space.
Kazakhstan begins fining women who wear burqa or niqab
The law against face veils was passed in the summer but there were no sanctions. Until now, it was mainly enforced by shopping malls, which prevented people with their faces covered from entering.
The EU pressures Kyrgyzstan to lift the ban on the niqab
The European Parliament includes the freedom to wear the niqab and the absence of control over religious teachings as a guarantee of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Shopping centres in Kazakhstan ban the niqab and the burqa
Shopping centres have put up signs at the entrances to warn of the ban «because it's the law». 70.1 per cent of Kazakhstan's population is Muslim.
Kyrgyzstan carries out police raids to enforce the ban on the niqab
Since 1 February, the police have been able to issue fines of €230 to women wearing a niqab or burqa.