Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Anywhere else it could be an ordinary administrative technicality. In any case, elsewhere women would perhaps not need legislative cover to tie a scarf loosely over their heads. But for Turkey the scarf 8212; or the absence of it from public places 8212; lies at the heart of modern nationhood. So, by every account, a current move to allow it on university campuses is already controversial. It is also indicative of the ways in which Turkish polity is changing. Two political parties, including the ruling AK Party, have placed in the legislature a plan to allow headscarves in universities. Headscarves in universities were disallowed by the military in 1997. Reports suggest that the move has already drawn criticism from the top military general and university authorities. But the critical reaction would be from the military.
The tussle has been ongoing. Turkey adheres to a strict and unwavering definition of secularism, whereby religious symbols are banned from public spaces. The tussle is between post-Ottoman modernity and freedom of choice. Freedom of choice, for instance, to adopt traditional headgear but more than that, the freedom to use a democratic mandate to legislate changes in the stern code of conduct laid down by the Ataturkian founding fathers. The military 8212; with the backing of the establishment 8212; has seen itself as guardian of those founding guidelines, and on many occasions stepped in to protect Turkish secularism. Of late, however, a political class unrooted in the old socio-economic establishment has tried to assert itself. The AK Party, rooted in an Islamist past, has been challenging the military8217;s right to unilateral assertion. Last year, there was speculation whether the military would prevent AK8217;s successful nominee as president, Abdullah Gul, from taking office. Gul8217;s wife, shuddered the secularists, wore a headscarf. Others, however, worried about the implications of a military intervention and consequent subversion of a democratic vote. In the event, the AK Party called an early election to claim its democratic mandate and Gul became president.
The current move comes with many qualifications 8212; the scarf may be tied loosely, it should not come with a covering for the neck. In this nitpicking, be sure, lies Turkey8217;s struggle to find a modern self at ease with its cultural diversity.
