Azerbaijani singer Röya Ayxan has backed the enforcement of school-uniform rules amid a public debate over hijabs, urging parents not to force children into choices they do not want and calling on fellow entertainers to support the country’s laws.
Röya set out her position in a statement on her Instagram account, saying the dispute had concerned her both as a citizen and as a mother, according to Vesti Baku.
The People’s Artist of Azerbaijan said she had always paid attention to her child’s conduct and clothing at school and had tried to teach him to follow the same rules as other students.
Her statement focused primarily on parental pressure. Röya said many adults grew up under coercion and now regard parts of that experience as traumatic. Parents who learned from that past should not repeat it with the next generation, she argued.
“If we went through all this and drew conclusions, it is wrong to force children to become instruments of something they do not want,” she wrote. “Let our children grow up in peace and have the chance to choose their future.”
Education and Choice
Röya urged parents to guide children toward education, science and knowledge, help them pursue a profession they want and raise them to contribute to society and the country.
She said parents would eventually be grateful for decisions being taken now, although she did not identify a specific legal act in the statement. Her remarks came amid controversy over the application of school-dress requirements to students wearing headscarves.
The singer also drew a parallel with Azerbaijan’s closed land borders, claiming the restrictions had prevented wars in neighboring countries from spilling into Azerbaijan. That was Röya’s personal assessment, not an official finding cited in her statement.
Appeal to Public Figures
Röya separately urged colleagues in the entertainment industry to speak publicly, resist outside pressure and reject online campaigns targeting those who support the government’s position.
“We must support the Azerbaijani state and its laws,” she wrote. “We are all children of this homeland. Let us protect it and not give in to provocations.”
The statement framed the school-uniform dispute around two principles: compliance with national rules and a child’s right to grow up without coercion while retaining the ability to choose a future.
Because the report is based on Röya’s public social-media statement, it is a news account of her position rather than an AZE.US editorial endorsement of her views.