I know this subject isn't a hot-button topic at this time: Turkish head scarf ban.

Just one of many articles: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7441227.stm

An excerpt from Aljazeera: http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CECFB2F8-862E-472D-BA0B-DCC2CDDB8A8D.htm

Women's protest

The meeting took place as hundreds of Turkish women wearing the hijab (headscarf) protested against the court ruling.

About 500 women demonstrated in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir after Friday prayers, and hundreds more in colourful headscarves chanted slogans in Istanbul.

Thousands of women have not gone to university because of the ban, which has been enforced strictly since 1997, or have gone abroad to study.

The headscarf reform has rekindled a decades-long dispute over the role of Islam in a country of 70 million that is officially secular but predominantly Muslim.

Turkey's secularist establishment, including army generals and judges, suspect the AK Party of harbouring a hidden agenda.


***This seems to be a lot of pandering bullshit to me. Turkey very badly desires to get into the EU, but, you know, they can't seem *too* Muslim. I would think it a grand victory to see the religious devout (ultra-devout even) attending a liberal (in its etymological sense) institution of higher learning. Why, oh, why, have this sort of ban? I just don't get it.

Are they really that afraid of devout (perhaps even fundamentalist) Muslims? And to kick out 71 members from parliament who have now been deemed anti-secular just strikes me as bizarre and wholly anti-democratic. Shit, we had to live with Chimpy these last 8 years--and now we've got Obama. Sometimes democracy just sucks.

Please somebody tell me what I'm missing here.

And they're trying to undermine Turkey's secularity. Members of the party have openly supported instituting Quranic law in Turkey. Banning headscarves and shutting down political parties is extreme by US standards, but it's better than letting Turkey degrade into a theocracy.

All connection with Islam is recent - the headscarf is more about Wahhabist Islam than Classic Islam.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3340258&mesg_id=3340258

You'll find the main arguments on either side there.

What makes you think that the ban on wearing headscarfs at Universities in Turkey isn't simply a domestic issue for Turkey?


I suspect that there's a very small number of women who refuse to attend University simply because they aren't allowed to wear headscarves there. I suspect that the issue is advertising. If a majority are Muslims, then will there be pressure on all Muslim women to wear headscarves? Will non-Muslims then become a visible minority that can be identified and discriminated against?


Are you sure they were kicked out? The BBC article that you linked to doesn't suggest that they will lose their seats in parliament. It suggests that the issue is more technical and concerns just party membership.