Nobody is saying that because it would be a political suicide. I dont really believe anymore that a religious party wouldnt try to change the laws and base them on religion if they had a way to get away with it. Its already bad enough sign that they go ahead and try to break the constitution as the ruling party.
Yes, breaking the constitution is wrong. If the courts have decided that lifting a headscarf ban would be unconstitutional, so be it.
Still, the banning of religious symbols/religious dress in general is a silly concept that is at odds with democratic freedoms. It's a shame that the Turkish constitution includes this concept.
There is just so much at stage and so many bad examples on the neighbourhood of what happens when the religious parties do get to rule with the power to make laws based on religion. Add to that we see regularly people justifying and cheering such laws that limit freedoms, lashes to person who meets non-family member of opposite sex, punishments for sexual minorities, death penalty for those who choose to not believe anymore.
Nobody is asking for all that. Simply the right for a woman to wear what she wills. It's ironic that this is not allowed considering Turkey's Muslim majority. In the UK for instance, women are rightly allowed to wear whatever they want (as long as they're not indecently exposing themselves, naturally).
Turkey isnt perfect (no country really is), but I wouldnt be willing to risk it if I was Turkish secular. Personally Im starting to think the separation of state and religion like in Turkey or France is the way to go.
I disagree. In this case, isn't a ban on headscarves in public places such as universities a curtailment of freedom of expression?
Also, in France, it's not just Muslim headscarves, but also Sikh turbans. What is the justification for this? That some people take offence to it? That people who wear such things 'don't fit in'? Revealingly, people in France are allowed to wear small crucifixes, which show that secularism is not truly the motive for such measures.
Being the cynical person I am, I'm willing to bet it's simply bitterness on the part of a
portion of secularists - 'if you give these religious people an inch, they'll take a mile' sort of thing. Not all secularists are like this, obviously. It's just that's what appears to be the motive in these kinds of things rather than some sort of altruism.
On a sidenote, what is it actually? A dresscode in goverment buildings.
Universties.
Such horrid and paranoid abuse of power is done by virtually every country in the world.
Not really. A woman or a man can wear what he or she likes in universities in most countries. Sometimes, there are health and safety issues in the workplace, but these tend to only affect employees, not members of the general public.
I'm very glad the UK and the US for that matter do not make it illegal to wear a headscarf or a turban in public.
