Antisemitic Campaign Targets Azerbaijan Amid Hijab Regulations Dispute

An antisemitic online campaign has emerged amid hijab protests in Azerbaijan, portraying President Ilham Aliyev as an enemy of Islam and a puppet of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to assessments, the actors behind this campaign originate from Turkey, Iran, and Russia.

Tensions inside Azerbaijan ignited last month after the government issued new regulations prohibiting students from wearing clothing that deviates from official uniforms or contradicts the secular character of state education. Although the hijab was not explicitly mentioned, reports indicated that female students and teachers wearing Islamic headscarves were barred from entering schools.

Conspiracy Theories and Antisemitic Caricatures

While the hijab regulations are an internal Azerbaijani matter, online conspiracy theories have begun circulating, claiming that close ties between Azerbaijan and Baku's relationship with Jerusalem influenced the legislation. Concurrently, caricatures employing classic antisemitic tropes have been distributed to mock President Aliyev. One cartoon depicts the Azerbaijani leader on his knees, collared and led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"The anti-Aliyev campaign utilizes classic antisemitic imagery while falsely linking domestic educational policy to foreign intelligence ties with Israel," regional analysts noted.

Regional Actors Fueling the Tensions

Assessments indicate that the coordinated smear campaign is driven by interests from three specific regional powers:

• Turkey: Although a key ally of Azerbaijan, members of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party criticized the law, and Erdogan himself implicitly condemned school hijab restrictions during a UN General Assembly address last month.

• Iran: Tehran has maintained decades of hostility regarding the strategic partnership between Jerusalem and Baku, repeatedly alleging that Israel uses Azerbaijani territory for operations against Iran.

• Russia: Tensions persist between Moscow and Baku over Azerbaijan's aspirations to become a regional Caucasus power and its neutral stance regarding the war in Ukraine.

Observers emphasize that foreign actors are exploiting local domestic unrest to undermine President Aliyev's international standing and disrupt Azerbaijan's foreign policy alliances.