Turkey Lifts Military Ban On Headscarves

Since Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has started governing Turkey, several reforms are being made regarding the Islamic headscarf. His government is now aiming to lift the ban on female army officers wearing the Islamic headscarf.

Belonging to the Justice and Development party, Erdoğan has always been stressing the importance of removing restrictions on women. Being an Islamic government, headscarf is allowed to be worn in politics, police and education in Turkey.

In the year 2010, Turkey lifted the ban on wearing headscarves in university campuses

In 2013, the ban was lifted from state institutions, and in 2014, high schools were also allowed to lift the ban

Turkey's military, known for its secular values, is now being infiltrated by such rules and regulations which show the interference of the Islamic government. Even though the government ducks at these accusations, they say that they allow the freedom of worship to all Turkish citizens, without any disregard to their beliefs.

Secular Turkey:

In 1923, when Mustafa Kemal Atatürk came to power, there were several political, cultural, social changes in the nation to make it a secular state.

- One of the historic moves by the founders of this Republic was to ban headscarves in public institutions. 

- The idea of secularism even inspired women of the state to demand equality for all, including the female sex. In the years 1926-1934, many reforms took place for equality of women; polygamy became illegal, man and woman were given equal inheritance rights. 

- In 1930, female judges were appointed for the first time. 

Atatürk's government tried its best to keep the state away from the influence of religion, which made it a unique nation in the Middle-East.

With Prime Minister Erdoğan's rule, these secular rights are being challenged by such laws and actions. Pro-government media points out at several occasions that such a move has nothing to do with taking away rights and that many western states too permit female officers to wear headscarves.

Feature Image Courtesy: Libyan Express