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| The Grand Turk |
| Turkey to lift ban on Islamic headscarves |
| 2013-10-01 |
| [Al Ahram] Turkey on Monday announced it would lift a ban on women wearing headscarves in most public offices, following other measures critics say are aimed at Islamising the staunchly secular country. In a major speech to introduce political reforms, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that, with a few exceptions, civil servants would be allowed to wear headscarves after a long-standing ban is overturned. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... the ban will remain in effect for judges, prosecutors, police and military personnel, he added. The lifting of the ban was part of major political reforms announced by Erdogan in order to enhance the rights of minority groups including Turkey's 15 million Kurds. The headscarf controversy reveals the rivalry in Turkey between religious conservatives, who form the bulk of Erdogan's Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP), and secular opponents. Secularists -- particularly those in the army -- see the headscarf as a symbol of defiance against the strict separation of state and religion, a basic tenet of modern Turkey. Erdogan's government was hit by a wave of nationwide unrest in June that threw up the biggest challenge to his decade-plus rule. Protesters called Erdogan a "dictator", accusing him of Islamising the predominantly Musselmen but staunchly secular country. Critics say that Erdogan's rule has left Turkish society more polarised than ever, with opponents of the AKP government openly voicing concerns that Turkey is sliding toward conservative Islam. |
| Posted by:Fred |