ContemporaryCaliph.Com

Recently, the Turkish government introduced a bill to end the banning of headscarves in public Universities in Turkey. The bill was overwhelmingly supported by member of its parliaments, both form the ruling Islamic-oriented AKP and the opposition from the Nationalist Party. (ST, February 7, 2008). The proposal calls for the insertion of a paragraph in the constitution stating that ‘no one can be deprived of (his or her) right to higher education’.

However, deep-rooted secularism fanaticism in Turkey had once again prompted several secular extremists to hold street demonstrations to protest against the move to lift the ban. Protestors include University deans from dozens of private and state universities who believe that lifting the ban will ‘undermine the secular notion of the Turkish republic’. Secular-oriented unpopular Republican Party had also warned the government that they will challenge the amendment of the constitution in court. At the same time, the powerful military arm, had reportedly tacitly warn against any move to jeopardise the secular ideology of the state. Previously, they had launched several coups to overthrow government that supported was deemed to be Islamically-oriented.

It is quite ironic here when we talk about modernization vis-a-vis liberal democracy, democratically elected government are not free to govern according to the majority of the peoples ‘wish. Despite having the Islamist background in the past, the AKP managed to secure a resounding victory in the recent general election, albeit being opposed by several secular fundamentalists. Being a legitimate democratic government, they should be allowed without any interference from the bureaucracy and judiciary to halt any move when they are legally the government of the state. The people that placed them to power had long envisioned for more justice and fundamental human rights to be observed in Turkey.

It is not the question if Islamic rights, instead it is the universal human rights that guaranteed the freedom of religious practices. I wonder how wearing the headscarves in Universities will undermine secularism. The argument that ‘the head covering as a political statement and fear that lifting the ban at universities would pressure all female students to cover themselves up’ by the secularist is absurd. Why would others be pressured to wear the headscarves in the first place? Are they admitting that is the will of the people to put on the headscarves and therefore banning it in Universities is justifiable? Isn’t this an anti-thesis to the basic notion of human rights? At the same time, isn’t this oppression to the majority for the will of the minority? Is this democratic?

For now, we can only have a look and see approach. If the government is being toppled once again by the military, we’ll see secularist chauvinist force at work that will only undermine the principle of democracy that was introduced by the West themselves.