19.09.2008 - Source: US Department of State

Lift of the ban on headscarves at universities ("International Religious Freedom Report 2008") [ID 24865]

"In February 2008 the Government enacted constitutional amendments intended to lift the ban on the wearing of headscarves in universities. Opposition parties immediately appealed the amendments to the Constitutional Court, arguing that the amendments undermine the secular state. Conflicting interpretations of whether the amendments were binding led to universities independently determining whether or not to apply a ban. In the past, university students who wore head coverings at public universities were officially not permitted to register for classes, although some faculty members permitted students to wear head coverings in class. The Constitutional Court annulled the amendment on June 5, reinstating the ban on wearing headscarves in universities. The issue was seen as part of a separate case that seeks to disband the ruling AKP for antisecular activities and ban 71 members, including the President and Prime Minister, from joining any political party for 5 years.

Many secularists accused Islamists of using advocacy for wearing the headscarf as a political tool and feared that efforts to repeal the headscarf ban would lead to pressure against women who choose not to wear a head covering. In 2005 the ECHR ruled that the Government has the right to ban the headscarf in an effort to protect the secular nature of the state."

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06.06.2008 - Source: BBC News

AK Party attacks the Constitutional Court for blocking moves to permit headscarves at universities ("Turkey headscarf ruling attacked") [ID 23429]

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06.06.2008 - Source: Human Rights Watch

According to HRW, constitutional court to cancel constitutional amendments that would have opened way for women to wear headscarf in universities is blow to freedom of religion and other fundamental rights ("Constitutional Court Ruling Upholds Headscarf Ban") [ID 23430]

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05.06.2008 - Source: BBC News

Turkey's highest court blocks government moves to allow college students to wear Muslim headscarves ("Court annuls Turkish scarf reform") [ID 23426]

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05.06.2008 - Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Constitutional Court annuls law allowing women to wear headscarves in universities ("Kopftuchverbot an türkischen Universitäten bestätigt") [ID 23427]

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20.05.2008 - Source: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

Query response on situation of women who wear headscarves ("Situation of women who wear headscarves [TUR102820.E]") [ID 24260]

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22.02.2008 - Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung

President Gul approves constitutional amendment which ends headscarf ban at Universities; the changes would not violate state principles and would strengthen the right to education, says the president ("Das Kopftuchverbot in der Türkei ist aufgehoben") [ID 22368]

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03.02.2008 - Source: Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Ankara: 120,000 people demonstrate against plans of government to abolish headscarf ban on universities; critics warn that pressure on women will rise, in case of an end of the ban ("Gegen 120'000 Menschen demonstrieren in Ankara") [ID 22208]

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24.01.2008 - Source: BBC News

Ruling party and key opposition party agree to work to lift ban on headscarves in universities ("New move to lift Turkey scarf ban") [ID 22090]

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06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Ban on Islamic headscarves at universities (as of 2006) ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 19903]

"Authorities continued to enforce a long-term ban on the wearing of headscarves at universities and by civil servants in public buildings. Women who wore headscarves and persons who actively showed support for those who defied the ban were disciplined or lost their jobs in the public sector as nurses and teachers. Students who wore head coverings were not permitted to register for classes, although some faculty members permitted students to wear head coverings in class.

In November 2005 the ECHR Grand Chamber upheld a 2004 ECHR ruling that the ban on Islamic headscarves in the country's universities was lawful.

In February the council of state ruled in favor of a decision by education authorities to revoke the promotion of an Ankara teacher to a nursery school principal position on the grounds that the teacher regularly wore an Islamic headscarf outside of school. Numerous journalists and religious rights advocates asserted that the court's decision effectively expanded the headscarf ban into the private sphere. The court, however, maintained that the teacher had violated the principle of secularism in education by wearing the headscarf while traveling to and from school."

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01.2007 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Women who wear the headscarf for religious reasons are still denied access to higher education, the civil service, and political life ("World Report 2007") [ID 19017]

"Women who wear the headscarf for religious reasons are still denied access to higher education, the civil service, and political life. However, during 2006 the ban was applied much more broadly than only to state institutions. In late 2005, the Administrative Supreme Court upheld a ruling that Aytaç Kýlýnç, a teacher, could not be promoted because she wore a headscarf when she was not on school premises. Officials also barred mothers who wear the headscarf from accompanying their children to school ceremonies and swimming pools; lawyers and journalists were ejected from courtrooms and public meetings at universities because they refused to remove their headscarf."

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27.09.2006 - Source: Federal Government (Germany)

Ban on wearing of headscarves in public and private institutions; decision by the European Court of Human Rights concerning ban on wearing of headscarves ("Antwort der Bundesregierung auf die Kleine Anfrage der Fraktion Bündnis 90/Die Grünen - BT-Drs. 16/2739 -") [ID 17998]

"An türkischen Schulen und Universitäten ist sowohl Schülerinnen und Studentinnen als auch dem Lehrpersonal das Tragen eines Kopftuches untersagt. Dieses Verbot umfasst öffentliche sowie private Einrichtungen und beruht auf einer unter der Militärregierung 1980 erlassenen und 1982 geänderten Verwaltungsvorschrift des Bildungsministeriums.

Am 24. Februar 2005 beschloss das türkische Parlament ein Gesetz, das 224 000 Studenten und Studentinnen, die aus verschiedenen Gründen ihr Studium nicht hatten fortsetzen können oder nicht fortgesetzt hatten, die Rückkehr an die Hochschulen ermöglichen soll, darunter auch einige Tausend Frauen, die wegen Verstoßes gegen das Kopftuchverbot aus der Universität ausgeschlossen worden waren. Voraussetzung für ihre Wiederzulassung ist jedoch, dass sie bei Wiederaufnahme des Studiums innerhalb des Universitätsgebäudes kein Kopftuch tragen.

Am 10. November 2005 wies die Große Kammer des Europäischen Gerichtshofs für Menschenrechte abschließend die Beschwerde einer Türkin gegen das Verbot des Kopftuchtragens zurück. Die Beschwerdeführerin sei nicht in ihrem durch Artikel 9 EMKR garantierten Recht auf Ausübung ihrer Religion verletzt worden. Es liege lediglich eine Einschränkung vor, die aber nach Artikel 9 Abs. 2 EMKR gerechtfertigt sei."

Document(s): BT-Drs16/2739

15.09.2006 - Source: US Department of State

Authorities continue to enforce ban on the wearing of headscarves at universities and by civil servants in public buildings ("International Religious Freedom Report 2006") [ID 18513]

"Authorities continued to enforce a long-term ban on the wearing of headscarves at universities and by civil servants in public buildings. Women who wear headscarves and persons who actively show support for those who defy the ban have been disciplined or have lost their jobs in the public sector as nurses and teachers. Students who wear head coverings are officially not permitted to register for classes, although some faculty members permit students to wear head coverings in class.

Many secularists accuse Islamists of using advocacy for wearing the headscarf as a political tool and say they fear that efforts to repeal the headscarf ban will lead to pressure against women who choose not to wear a head covering.

In February 2006, the Council of State ruled in favor of a decision by education authorities to revoke the promotion of an Ankara teacher to a nursery school principal position on the grounds that the teacher regularly wore an Islamic headscarf outside of school. Some journalists and religious rights advocates asserted that the court's decision effectively expanded the headscarf ban into the private sphere. The court, however, maintained that the teacher had violated the principle of secularism in education by wearing the headscarf while traveling to and from school.

In May 2006, attorney Alparslan Arslan opened fire in the Council of State court responsible for the February ruling, killing Judge Mustafa Yucel Ozbilgin and wounding four other judges. Arslan, who was apprehended at the scene, reportedly said he was motivated by anger over the ruling. Thousands of protestors attending Ankara funeral ceremonies for Ozbilgin accused government leaders of inciting the attack by criticizing the headscarf ban and the Council of State ruling. There were no similar protests in other cities.

In another February 2006 ruling, the Council of State upheld a decision by the Education Ministry to deny the application of religion instructor Abdullah Yilmaz to be assigned to a position in Central Asia because Yilmaz's wife wears a headscarf."

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17.05.2006 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Judge shot dead as revenge for controversial decision to uphold refusal to promote teacher wearing the headscarf off-duty ("No Excuse for Attack on Judges") [ID 15751]

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16.02.2006 - Source: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Controversial court decision concerning headscarf ("Politischer Bericht; Türkei") [#44352],  [ID 13800]

"Die Kopftuchfrage und die Imam-Hatip-Schulen sind durch zwei Urteile des türkischen Oberverwaltungsgerichts (Danýstay) in Ankara wieder in den Mittelpunkt der innertürkischen Diskussion geraten. Der erste Fall handelt von einer Grundschullehrerin, die zwar in der Schule kein Kopftuch trug, dieses aber auf dem Weg von und zur Schule anlegte. Neben den Beamtinnen ist das Tragen des Kopftuchs auch den Studentinnen und den meisten Schülerinnen verboten. Ihre Ernennung zur Schuldirektorin wurde von einem Gericht rückgängig gemacht. In einem langjährigen Rechtsstreit klagte sie erfolgreich dagegen.

Das Oberverwaltungsgericht revidierte jedoch jetzt das Urteil der unteren Instanz. Ihr Auftreten mit Kopftuch außerhalb der Schule sei ein „schlechtes Beispiel“. Schüler könnten sehen, dass Sie ein Kopftuch trage und es nur für ihre Arbeitsausübung abnehme. Sie könnten dadurch beeinflusst werden, so das Gericht. Die Urteilsbegründung gibt nun Anlass zur Kritik. Viele Prozessbeobachter werfen nun die Frage auf, ob das Gericht hier nicht eine „ideologische Entscheidung“ getroffen habe. Das Kopftuchverbot in der Türkei wird sehr strikt eingehalten. Die Definition des öffentlichen Raums sei nun aber auf die Strasse ausgeweitet worden, urteilen Kritiker. Das Urteil bedeutet eigentlich, so einige Rechtsexperten, dass Beamtinnen auch in ihrer Freizeit kein Kopftuch tragen dürften.

Der bekannte Politologe Prof. Ümit Özdað versteht das Urteil so, dass eine Frau ihr Kopftuch abnehmen müsse, wenn sie einen Brief auf das Postamt bringen möchte. Selbst Verfechter des türkischen Kopftuchverbots, wie der Rektor der Bahçesehir Universität Prof. Dr. Süheyl Batum aus Istanbul, zeigen wenig Verständnis für dieses Urteil, weil die Definition von öffentlichem Raum und der Privatsphäre sich somit sehr nah gekommen seien. Es müsse eine klare Trennlinie gezogen werden zwischen denjenigen, die im öffentlichen Raum eine Dienstleistung erbrächten und denen, die eine empfingen."

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