Turkish leader: Lift head scarf ban
By C. ONUR ANT, Associated Press Writer 28 minutes ago
ISTANBUL, Turkey - Turkey's Islamic-leaning prime minister called Wednesday for lifting a ban on women wearing head scarves in universities, a shift in position that is certain to alarm secularists who fear the government is moving to foist a Muslim agenda on the nation.
The opposition had vehemently opposed Erdogan's choice of Gul for the influential and highly symbolic post, saying it would open the way for the government to carry out an Islamic agenda.
Erdogan's comments Wednesday will raise suspicions he is taking the first step in that direction, particularly because it was a tempest over the head scarf worn by Gul's wife that galvanized opposition to the former foreign minister's presidential bid.
Secularists were appalled that a first lady wearing a head scarf would enter the presidential palace occupied by Turkey's founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk , and they waged an unsuccessful four-month battle to block Gul's election.
Turkey's 70 million people are predominantly Muslim but many have secular lifestyles. The military sees itself as the guardian of the nation's secular traditions, and has ousted four governments since 1960.
Gul and Erdogan have said they are not Islamic fundamentalists, citing their promotion of reforms to advance Turkey's bid to join the European Union. But they have also sought to improve ties with the Islamic world, including with hard-line nations like Syria .
The head of Turkey's Higher Education Board — a well-known secularist law scholar — condemned Erdogan's move to lift the head scarf ban.
"It is our mission to remind the public that any constitutional regulation that would abolish restrictions on clothing is illegal," Erdogan Tezic said.
But the prime minister insists that ending the head scarf ban would be merely a question of individual liberty. "We are talking about freedoms," he said Wednesday.
Erdogan had been previously reluctant to openly state his intentions about the head scarf ban. When asked about the issue before general elections in July, he skirted it by simply affirming his loyalty to personal freedom.
However, soon after the elections, Erdogan's Islamic-oriented Justice and Development Party formed a group of legislators and scholars to write a new constitution to replace the current one, which was written during military rule following a coup in 1980.
A copy of the first draft published by Turkish media includes alternative wordings that would allow the Islamic head scarf to be worn on campuses.
"The right to higher education cannot be restricted because of what a girl wears. There is no such problem in Western societies but there is a problem in Turkey and I believe it is the first duty of those in politics to solve this problem," Erdogan was quoted as saying by the Financial Times.
Turkey's secular elite fears that lifting the head scarf ban will have a snowball effect — putting pressure on women to wear ever more conservative attire and opening new avenues for the government to impose Islam on public and private life.
A key factor in the new head scarf debate is how the military will react.
| Turkish Leader: Lift Head Scarf Ban Guardian Unlimited, UK - 13 minutes ago The head of Turkey's Higher Education Board - a well-known secularist law scholar - condemned Erdogan's move to lift the head scarf ban . ... |
 Canada.com | Turkish PM pushes for abolition of headscarf ban in reform row AFP - 1 hour ago AKP leaders wary of a secularist backlash are reportedly hestitating on whether to press ahead with a provision lifting the headscarf ban and have left the ... Turkey to Revoke Headscarf Ban Alalam News Network Turkey president pushes for headscarf ban abolition TREND Information all 135 news articles » |
| ERDOGAN TO RULE ON FINAL DRAFT OF TURKEY'S NEW CONSTITUTION Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC - Sep 17, 2007 Mustafa Bumin, a former head of the Turkish Constitutional Court, dismissed suggestions that the headscarf ban was merely a question of freedom of ... PM utters final word on lifting of headscarf ban in universities Turkish Daily News (subscription) all 9 news articles » |
| Turkey's Gul stirs hope among devout Muslims Reuters South Africa, South Africa - Aug 27, 2007 A headscarf ban which stops many women going to university is well known, but less discussed is the filtering of devout men from state institutions. ... |
 The Associated Press | Turkish Leader Promises Reforms The Associated Press - Sep 5, 2007 Erdogan's speech made no mention of any measures to lift a ban on Islamic-style head scarves in schools and government offices, a polarizing issue in ... |
| Erdogan, Gul Widen Army Rift, Gain Freer Hand on Turkish Sales Bloomberg - Aug 26, 2007 They oppose the headscarf ban and similar laws, they say, because they are restrictions on free speech. Army mistrust of the AKP government peaked in April, ... |
| Gul elected Turkey's President Cyprus Observer, Cyprus - Aug 31, 2007 For example, it will be difficult to rationalise a failure on the part of Gul and the AKP government to lift the headscarf ban. His approval for abolishing ... |
| New Turkish constitution in the making Southeast European Times, MD - Sep 5, 2007 ... denying reports that the AKP is planning to include clauses in the constitution to lift the ban on wearing the Muslim headscarf in universities. |
| Gül's road to the Palace Turkish Daily News (subscription), Turkey - Aug 29, 2007 ... a call to lift the ban on wearing of the headscarf by female university students and civil servants, the dispute over building a mosque in Istanbul's ... |
 New Anatolian | Turkey poised for a take off New Anatolian, Turkey - Sep 3, 2007 The program, however, made no mention of any measures to lift a ban on Islamic-style head scarves in schools and government offices, a symbolic issue that ... |
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