BBC World http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7230075.stm
Last Updated: Wednesday, 6 February 2008, 22:58 GMT Turkey moves to headscarves vote Wednesday's vote came after a heated debate in the assembly Turkey's parliament has approved a move for a final vote on a government proposal to ease the ban on women wearing headscarves in universities. Scarves were banned from campuses when the military seized power in 1980 to defend against the perceived encroachment of Islam into politics. Wednesday's vote was carried by 397 in favour to 113 against, Ankara's Anatolia News Agency reported. A final vote on the measure is scheduled for Saturday. Court threat In Wednesday's heated debate, Bekir Bozdag, deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said the amendment bill would strengthen Turkey's characteristic principle of secularism. "Giving equal right to education to every citizen is not against the state of law and democracy," he said. Protest in Istanbul against the headscarf ban in schools and universities (October 2007) Some women refuse to go to university because of the ban "Isn't secularism the guarantee for everyone who wants to benefit from the equal right to education?" But Hakki Suha Okay, a member of the strictly secular main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), said the package "aims to render the principle of secularism ineffective". "This step will encourage radical [Islamic] circles in Turkey, accelerate movement towards a state founded on religion, lead to further demands" against the spirit of the republic, he said. As Turkey's population is predominantly Muslim, two-thirds of all Turkish women cover their heads, meaning thousands miss out on the opportunity to attend college. Many Turks argue that is unfair. The government wants to allow traditional scarves tied under the chin, although more enveloping versions would still be banned. But the government's plan to change the law has sparked large protest rallies by secular Turks. They fear it may be a first step to eroding the secular system. With the backing of a nationalist opposition party, the government has enough votes to change the constitution and relax the ban. But if it does, the CHP has vowed to challenge the amendment in the constitutional court. The problem, says the BBC's Sarah Rainsford in Istanbul, is that the leaders of the current government once espoused political Islam and Turkey's powerful secular establishment does not trust them. They fear that lifting the headscarf ban is just the first of many steps to bring Islam into public life here, slowly changing the face of modern Turkey and putting pressure on those who do not cover up to do so, our correspondent says.
