|
Burka ban
·
On February
9, 2008 in
Turkey,
parliament
approved two
constitutional
amendments
easing the
ban on women
wearing
Islamic
headscarves
in
universities.
·
The issue is
deeply
divisive in
Turkey,
where the
state is
strictly
secular, and
protests are
expected.
·
The
government
said the ban
meant many
girls were
being denied
an
education.
·
But the
secular
establishment,
including
generals and
academics,
see this as
a first step
to allowing
Islam to
figure more
largely in
public life.
·
Opposition
parties said
in advance
of the vote
that they
would
challenge
the changes
in the
constitutional
court if
they were
passed.
·
A strict
headscarf
ban had been
in force in
Turkish
universities
since 1997.
·
The ban came
after the
staunchly
secularist
military had
exerted
pressure to
oust a
government
it saw as
too
Islamist.
·
The changes
state that
only
traditional
scarves will
be permitted
in
universities,
tied loosely
under the
chin.
·
Headscarves
that cover
the neck are
still banned,
as is the
chador and
the
all-enveloping
burka.
|
