Islamic head scarves in universities banned: in Turkey

Turkey's top court bans Islamic head scarves at universities

Turkey's top court ruled today that Islamic head scarves violate secularism and cannot be allowed at universities, deepening a divide between the country's Islamic-oriented government and secular institutions.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government had tried to allow the scarves at universities as a matter of personal and religious freedom.
But the Constitutional Court verdict said constitutional amendments that were passed by Parliament in February went against secularism.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/...es,+saying+they+violate+secularism/article.do

Interesting development.

They are already banned in government workplaces. One thing to thank Ataturk for, I guess.

My concern is that this will force women to leave universities.

BEAUTIFUL!!!! THANK YOU, Turkey!! :clap::clap::clap::clap:
Nice to see the voice of reason prevail once in a while. This means that the women will have to make a CHOICE-- to stay married to a pieces of fabric covering their face/head-- and oppression.... or to enlighten their minds and educate themselves. Of course many of them who might chose to take off their scarves to stay in the University will probably be murdered by their husbands, fathers, and brothers when they go home. Yeah, nice religion. Any religion who forces women to make such a dumb choice is barbaric, CLEARLY misogynistic, and obviously has their priorities ALL wrong.

I'm not a huge fan of Christianity either.. but it's perfectly clear which religion EVOLVED beyond the stone age here, and is (usually) more concerned with doing good works for others,,, and not fixated on some obsession with women covering their faces!!!

golfmom said:

My concern is that this will force women to leave universities.

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I agree golfmom - and keep them from getting government jobs. I support Turkey's efforts to minimize some of these religious practices, but I am also concerned about the negative effects on women.

Very sad in a lot of ways, in my opinion,

Salem

While I understand the country's desire for secularism, it's just a head scarf. I live in an area with a number of Amish and Mennonite women now--they all wear prayer caps. What's the difference?

(I previously lived near a muslim enclave in GA, while they were VERY scary [i.e. militant], I never had any problem with the women wearing head scarves.)

If the head scarf is seen purely as an emblem of political extremism it's no surprise that the secularists stepped in and brought this before the court.

Many see the head scarf as an emblem of political Islam, and consider any attempt to allow it in schools as an attack against modern Turkey's secular laws.

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