SALON

Tuesday, Oct 19, 2010 12:10 AM UTC

Is the hijab returning to Turkey?

The country's education board warns Istanbul University against expelling women for veiling

By

Topics: Muslim Women, Broadsheet, Love and Sex,

Is the hijab returning to Turkey?

The days of Muslim university students in Turkey wearing wigs over their headscarves and covering up with oversize baseball caps might be numbered. In response to a letter of complaint written by Zeynep Nur Incekara, a med student who was twice kicked out of class for flouting the unofficial ban on veiling in universities, the country’s Higher Education Board has instructed Istanbul University that it can no longer expel students for violating the dress code.

There is no actual anti-hijab clause in Turkey’s Constitution, “but through a tricky piece of legal interpretation coined ‘interpretative refusal,’ the headscarf has always fallen into a gray area,” explains the MinnPost. Some universities have taken to exploiting that gray area, but no more — at least not at Istanbul University, for now.

This isn’t one of those issues that easily divides along political lines: There are libertarians who support the right to veil whenever and wherever, and there are libertarians who worry that permitting the hijab in public institutions will lead to radical Islamization. There are secularists who believe in the need to rigidly defend the separation of church and state, and there are secularists who believe that you can’t have secularism without some degree of freedom of religious expression. And those are just the polar extremes found among like-minded groups.

Reuters is calling this move part of a “quiet revolution,” but let’s not forget that the prime minister pushed to lift the restriction in the past, but his proposal was ultimately shot down. If you ask me, this is a wobbly baby step that could easily collapse under the weight of political pressure.

Tracy Clark-Flory

Tracy Clark-Flory is a staff writer at Salon. Follow @tracyclarkflory on Twitter and Facebook. More Tracy Clark-Flory.

Next Article

You Might Also Like

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

More Related Stories

Comments

 27 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username ( settings | log out )

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: "We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves": Growing up primate

Recommendations