On September 21, Azerbaijani authorities updated school regulations to ban clothing that "disrupts the uniformity of the imposed school uniform or that is not in line with the principle of secularism." This primarily targets the Islamic veil, a head covering worn by some Muslim women and girls. The editor-in-chief of the Azerbaijani online media VisionTV explained that the rule is not an expression of Islamophobia but a pedagogical decision, emphasizing that young girls are often pressured by family or community to wear the veil. The editor argued that girls should be free to make such decisions when they are adults. Similar restrictions on religious clothing in schools have been implemented in other Turkic-language Muslim countries, including Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. These measures have been noted by media outlets close to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s regime. However, the new rule has sparked outrage among parts of the Turkish public. This reaction intensified after a video circulated on social media showing two young Azerbaijani schoolgirls crying in a playground after being denied entry to school because they were wearing veils. The controversy has been labeled the "Veil crisis in Azerbaijan" by the pro-government Turkish daily Türkiye. The paper linked the images of the two girls to those from October 28, the date of the 1978 Turkish military coup, suggesting a historical parallel that has deep emotional and political resonance in Turkey. This comparison has further fueled the debate over the balance between secularism, personal freedom, and cultural identity in Azerbaijan and its relations with Turkey.