Rajb Tayeb Erdogan, the Prime Minister-elect of Turkey announced that his party does not want to stir up a storm over the present ban on wearing the hijab, according to the Arabic daily, A Sharq Al-Awsat, published in London. Wearing the headscarf in Turkey was banned in Attaturk’s time in an attempt to Westernize the Republic. The ban applies to public institutions, schools and universities.
The article points out that Erdogan’s two daughters were forced to study in the States because they wear headscarves at all times.
Erdogan’s party garnered much support in the elections through his campaigns to revoke the ban. Erdogan is now backtracking somewhat, saying that “this question needs to be resolved in a consensual framework.” He added that he will seek to revoke the ban on the headscarf only in universities but “the situation in schools and offices is different.”
The secular bloc in Turkey, which ousted the previous Islamic government (in 1996), looks on the headscarf as one of the symbols of “radical Islam”, according to the newspaper.
In the U.S.A. too, wearing the headscarf is not looked on with favor because it is instantaneously associated with radical Islam.
Since Erdogan’s election, he has been trying to persuade Turkey’s citizens that he is absolutely committed to “getting Turkey into the European Union, gaining respect for their way of life and securing freedom of religion.”
Now it remains to be seen if Erdogan will continue in the path of the other governments in Turkey, which have been bending over backwards to get Turkey into the European Union. It will also be interesting to see what the new government’s position will be as regards Israel and to what extent it will be under the influence of Turkey’s formidable military establishment, which firmly endorses strong ties with Israel.