Protesters blast headscarf ban 

Published: Monday, 28-2-2005

Protesters blast headscarf ban

Members of right wing groups and labor unions send wigs to premier, interpreted as a reaction to the premier allegedly saying female students can go to campus wearing wigs over their hair

ANKARA - Turkish Daily News

  A group of protestors, including members of some right wing groups and labor unions, held a demonstration yesterday in Ankara, part of which involved the sending of wigs to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Parliamentary Education Commission head Tayyar Altıkulaç, in protest of the headscarf ban on university campuses.

  Members of the Association of Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed Peoples (Mazlum-Der), the Freedom of Thought and Education Rights Association (Özgür-Der) and the Teachers' Labor Union (Öğretmen-Sen) decided to send wigs to express their disagreement with the headscarf ban. Some female students who believe covering their hair to be necessary, have started wearing wigs over their natural hair. By doing this, they believe, they can continue their education without wearing headscarves and without violating Islamic rules.

  The sending of the wigs to the premier and the education commission head have also been interpreted as a reaction to the premier's alleged statements during the Cabinet meeting held two weeks ago. Responding to former Culture and Tourism Minister Erkan Mumcu's alleged suggestion to amend the constitution to allow wearing headscarves at universities, the premier reportedly said, “It is no big deal. They [female students] can wear wigs over their hair before going on campus.”

  Protesters chanted slogans against the headscarf ban such as, “Freedom of education, no to junta” and “Long live our resistance.”

  In a statement, the leader of the group Burçin Çeliker said, “A student amnesty bill that doesn't allow for the wearing of headscarves is certainly incomplete and a mistake,” adding, “Women's wearing of headscarves is among the commandments of Allah.”

Education labor union finds fault with education:

  In addition to and amid the headscarf ban turmoil, the Education Labor Union (Eğitim-Sen) announced the results of an investigation showing the quality of higher education in Turkey to be very low.

  The Eğitim-Sen concluded that the quality of education in Turkey is notably insufficient and said that the universities across Anatolia are in dire need of qualified instructors. Moreover, the investigation indicates that despite their wish to attain a university education, some 80 percent of college-age youth aren't afforded the opportunity, due to financial or other obstacles.  

  The student amnesty bill is envisaged to pardon university students expelled from the universities after 2000, regardless of the reasons of their expulsion.
 

Source: Turkish Daily News