Headscarf controversy in Turkey

The headscarf controversy in Turkey was a 20th and early 21st century controversy about women wearing Islamic headscarves. The Republic of Turkey had been a secular state since the constitutional amendment of 1937. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk introduced the secularization of the state in the Turkish Constitution of 1924, alongside his reforms. Over 90% of Turkey's population is Muslim,^[1]^[2] and the suppression of hijab/headscarves and other prominent religious symbols in government institutions and public schools, (similar to policies in France, Quebec and Mexico)^[3] led to heated controversy at times in Turkey. Specifically, it resulted in a clash between those favoring the secular principles of the state, such as the Turkish Armed Forces,^[4] and religious conservatives, including Islamists. In the early 21st century, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reversed this,^[5] and worked to "raise a pious generation" in Turkey.^[6]

Atatürk never forbade the headscarf (the dominant form of hijab in Turkey, where it is called başörtüsü meaning head cover), but didn't encourage its use either.^[7] The headscarf was banned in public institutions because of the 'public clothing regulation' issued after the 1980 coup and began to be implemented in a radical way after the 1997 military memorandum.^[7] However, the ban on the headscarf for public personnel was lifted by the democratization package in 2013. Restrictive provisions were lifted with the amendment made in article 5 of the dress code regulation,^[7] but remained in effect in the military, police force and judiciary.^[8] In 2022 both Turkey's Islamist government and the formerly secular opposition vowed to take "legal steps to enshrine women's right to wear Islamic headscarves".^[9]

^ Nişancı, Zübeyir (21 March 2023). Ayşe Betül Aydın; Hatice Nur Keskin (eds.). Faith and Religiosity in Türkiye (PDF). Marmara University. ISBN 978-1-64205-906-9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 23 Aug 2023.
^ Çiçek, Nevzat (26 March 2023). ""Türkiye'de İnanç ve Dindarlık" araştırması yayımlandı: Dindarlaştık mı, sekülerleştik mi?" ["Faith and Religiosity in Turkey" research was published: Have we become religious or secularized?] (in Turkish). indyturk.com.
^ Hardy, Roger (22 July 2002). "Turkey: Battle of the headscarf". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
^ "Turkey's Mrs Gul given makeover". BBC News. August 2007. Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
^ "Court rules Student Oath should be reinstated in Turkey". Ahval. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
^ Gall, Carlotta (18 June 2018). "Erdogan's Plan to Raise a 'Pious Generation' Divides Parents in Turkey". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Türkiye'de başörtüsü yasağı: Nasıl başladı, nasıl çözüldü?". Archived from the original on 2017-03-25. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
^ Sebnem Arsu; Dan Bilefsky (8 October 2013). "Turkey Lifts Longtime Ban on Head Scarves in State Offices". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
^ Nevzat Devranoglu and Daren Butler (5 October 2022). "Islamic headscarf returns to heart of Turkish political debate". Reuters. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

[1] Nişancı, Zübeyir (21 March 2023). Ayşe Betül Aydın; Hatice Nur Keskin (eds.). Faith and Religiosity in Türkiye (PDF). Marmara University. ISBN 978-1-64205-906-9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 April 2023. Retrieved 23 Aug 2023.

[2] Çiçek, Nevzat (26 March 2023). ""Türkiye'de İnanç ve Dindarlık" araştırması yayımlandı: Dindarlaştık mı, sekülerleştik mi?" ["Faith and Religiosity in Turkey" research was published: Have we become religious or secularized?] (in Turkish). indyturk.com.

[3] Hardy, Roger (22 July 2002). "Turkey: Battle of the headscarf". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15. Retrieved 22 May 2017.

[Turkey's_Mrs_Gul_given_makeover-4] "Turkey's Mrs Gul given makeover". BBC News. August 2007. Archived from the original on 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2009-04-13.

[ahv-5] "Court rules Student Oath should be reinstated in Turkey". Ahval. Retrieved 16 August 2021.

[Gall-NYT-2018-6] Gall, Carlotta (18 June 2018). "Erdogan's Plan to Raise a 'Pious Generation' Divides Parents in Turkey". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 February 2023.

[aljazeera.com.tr-7] "Türkiye'de başörtüsü yasağı: Nasıl başladı, nasıl çözüldü?". Archived from the original on 2017-03-25. Retrieved 2017-03-25.

[8] Sebnem Arsu; Dan Bilefsky (8 October 2013). "Turkey Lifts Longtime Ban on Head Scarves in State Offices". The New York Times. New York Times. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

[9] Nevzat Devranoglu and Daren Butler (5 October 2022). "Islamic headscarf returns to heart of Turkish political debate". Reuters. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]