Turkey eases the ban on headscarves

"The state has the right to forbid its employees to wear religious symbols, but it does not have the right to expect female students as 'customers' of the university to remove their headscarves when they enter the campus. This piece of fabric cannot bar admission to higher education," writes Helmar Dumbs. "The dangers are elsewhere, for example in the mounting reports that Erdogan favours civil servants whose wives wear the 'turban.' This is what undermines the foundations of a state that is officially neutral on religion. For how secular is a state whose religious authority even interferes in Friday sermons? De facto Islam is the state religion in Turkey, while the Christian Churches are subjected to official harassment. This is not the separation of state and religion, it is total control of religion by the state."

» full article (external link, German)
More from the press review on the subject » Public Culture, » Turkey
All available articles from » Helmar Dumbs

» To the complete press review of Monday, February 11, 2008