Thursday - September 20, 2007

Being a Former Islamist is a Lot Like Being a Little Bit Pregnant 

Turkey's new PM, Erdogan, a "self-declared former Islamist" wants to allow women to wear headscarves at colleges. No big deal? The banning of headscarves in Turkey is one of the building blocks upon which Ataturk's secularism is built. It is a symbol of religious intolerance towards women.

Turkey is slowly shedding the secularism of the 20th century and turning towards Islamism. 

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has defended the right of women to wear headscarves at state universities and called for the current ban to be lifted.

Erdogan said the ban was depriving some women access to higher education.

The prime minister's Islamist-rooted AK Party began drafting a new constitution after its election victory in July.

The separation of religion and state enshrined in the current constitution is one of the key issues in the debate.

Speaking at the party headquarters, Erdogan said on Wednesday the draft of the new constitution was "a text increasing personal freedom and revising that drawn up by military leaders in 1982".

Referring to parts of the text leaked to the Turkish media, the premier said any criticism about the new constitution was "prejudiced and unjust".

"We have not sent the draft to anyone or any party yet," he said.

Erdogan told the UK-based Financial Times in an interview published on Tuesday that resolving the headscarf issue was a priority.

"The right to higher education cannot be restricted because of what a girl wears," he said.

"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."

But the chairman of Turkey's higher education board, Erdogan Tezic, a staunch secularist, severely criticised the draft.

"The easing of the restrictions about dress codes at universities is not legal," Tezic said.

Erdogan has been supported by President Abdullah Gul, a member of the AK Party until his election as head of state last month.

The wives and daughters of both men wear the headscarf.

Turkey's secularist forces, including military leaders and judges are opposed to any move to alter the nation's secularism. 

Author: The Machiavellian
Technorati Tags: Turkey Head scarf
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