DOSSIER: Turkey eases the ban on headscarves | 11/02/2008

With a large majority the Turkish parliament has paved the way for an amendment to the constitution. In line with legislation drafted by the governing AKP party, female university students will in future be permitted to wear headscarves. Is this a step towards democracy as demanded by the EU or is there a danger that Turkey is reverting to Islam?

Headscarf Opponents and Racist Whites

By Ozi

If I had not known elite and selfish soul of media and some political groups , after reading newspapers and watching news this morning, I would have thought the chaos started in all cities of Turkey and a coup d’etat occured last night due to constitutional amendments of goverment about headscarf. First of all I should say I have never voted or supported goverment party AKP, but because of AKP Turkish people had an opportunity to discover political groups fighting for democracy and trying to block democracy....

 

The (Turkish) doctrine of pre-emptive intolerance

Mustafa AKYOL

Decision to abolish headscarf ban hurts Turkey internationally

Michael van der Galiën

Forget about this ‘chin’ issue

By EMRE AKÖZ, SABAH

We are debating this: How exactly is it that women who want to wear headscarves should wear their headscarves?

Confusing platforms

By UMUR TALU, SABAH

Minds are so confused that on one side there is the perception that “freedom to the turbans in Turkish universities” means the same thing as all of Turkey’s freedom problems being solved.

Aid from Europe on the headscarf

By SELÇUK GÜLTAŞLI, ZAMAN

It is useful to focus on exactly what the EU is saying and not saying on the subject of the headscarf these days.

Three coup attempts by the anti-scarf gang

By MUSTAFA KARAALİOĞLU, STAR

Shariah, Malaysia, Chaos -- these were the code names for the three different coup attempts against democracy that have taken place one after the other over the last six months in Turkey.

The turban: An uninvited guest!

How superb was the description made by Democratic Left Party (DSP) Deputy Chairman Hasan Macit? The turban, he said, is like an uninvited guest who dropped in our house all of a sudden and occupied the head chair at the dinner table! Of course the constitutional amendments and the planned changes in the Higher Education Law (YÖK law) that all aim to liberalize wearing the turban by female students in universities is an issue of great importance and perhaps will play a very serious role in shaping at least the immediate future of the country, but we should not underestimate the fact that what we have been living for the past few weeks is indeed a reflection of

How far can the neo-nationalists go? by Emre Uslu & Önder Aytaç

The observers of Turkish politics in recent years have noticed that the ulusalci (neo-nationalist) groups rigorously campaign to extend their influence over Turkish society.

Is there any solution to the headscarf issue in education? by Bekir Çınar

The headscarf is now a wider issue in many parts of the world. The reason is because those who wear a headscarf are everywhere as integral parts of many societies, yet one way or another some establishments do not want these headscarved women to participate in society.

Rectors in dilemma over headscarf controversy in universities

The ban on the headscarf was lifted in some universities yesterday as Parliament approved constitutional amendments Saturday, however, the amendments still need presidential approval before

Turkish Government lift ban on wearing headscarfs in universities

By Mick Hall

For the last two decades the Turkish State has come under attack from Civil Liberties Groups and NGOs for banning the wearing of headscarves on university campuses, within Parliament and other State institutions. These groups all saw this ban as a flagrant abuse of the human rights of Turkish women. However after the attacks on the twin towers within New York City the attitude towards the worlds Muslims has changed somewhat and hardly for the better. So when on Saturday last the Turkish Parliament withdrew from the statute book the law which enabled the banning of the wearing of headscarves in some of these State institution, far from there being universal acclaim much of the British and US media saw it as a cunning plot by the Turkish AK Party government to bring Islam into the classroom and on to the campus.

Head Scarves and Liberty- WSJ

When Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited us in New York a few years ago, he said his daughters chose to study in the U.S. in part because it was illegal to wear head scarves at Turkish universities. Saturday, Turkey's Parliament voted to lift that ban.

Separation of powers in Turkey: too much or not enough?

Removal of scarf ban finds extensive coverage in foreign press

Turkey raises stakes with head scarves - - The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

Yusuf Kanlı: What's next?

A Spanish officious colleague asked in a rather lengthy manner whether the prime minister believed he would be able to lift the ban on the turban as some sections of Turkish society considered the Islamic headgear a symbol of political Islam. The prime minister was caught unprepared. Just did not bother how his remark would be perceived. And declared “What if it is a political symbol?” The prime minister was in Spain for a meeting of the “Alliance of Civilizations.” He made such a remark that since then has become the most serious headache for national unity at home. The Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), hoping to corner the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), jumped...

Implications of ‘single-party syndrome’

Turkey is a country that was run by a single party for 27 years, between 1923 and 1950. There is no need to say that the single-party administration envisages an authoritarian and totalitarian regime.

Stances differ on headscarf, Hagia Sophia

By ERGUN BABAHAN, SABAH

Cumhuriyet daily’s critical stance toward the lifting of the headscarf ban in Turkish universities, as displayed yesterday on its front page, was based on the Western press.

The AK Party calendar following the headscarf

By ESER KARAKAŞ, STAR

Following the achievement of a solution to the headscarf problem, both the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) and Parliament need to turn their attention and energy to not just Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) but also to the Partnership Participation Document (KOB) set to become official on Feb. 18 in the European Union Council of Ministers.

The headscarf and commonsense

İlter TÜRKMEN

Veiled Democracy? - World Affairs Board

Turkey's New Dress Code and the Fashion of Islam

By Tracy Dove, Ph.D

Respect for conservative religious values is essential, and the wealthy urban elite are leading the crusade for more piety. No, these aren't paroles taken from the secret agenda of the Mitt Romney campaign, and its not an election spot for Huckabee, although it sounds like it; Turkey is moving on a steady path toward prosperity, middle class independence and- ironically- greater religious piety. This week the Turkish parliament voted overwhelmingly to lift the ban on the Muslim headscarf in universities, and the decision has polarized the country into two opposite groups: the Kemalists on the secular side and the growing force of middle class Islamism on the other."....