For days now all over the Turkish media there has been so much spoken and written about the new law that has now been passed for the headscarf to allow the young Turkish female population to be able in a non-racist or judgmental way to enter the university system to continue their education.
As a European living in Turkey as well as being a mother to a female child I have decided that for me enough is enough, and it is time to voice my opinion not only as a woman but as my daughter will be part of Turkey's future, I feel for her sake I must stand proud in my ideas and hopes for this beautiful country and for the education of this country's children.
I find it very difficult to believe that Turkey is a secular state where one is allowed to practice any kind of religion freely, and I voice this opinion openly because it's acceptable to be a Muslim but unacceptable to be a Muslim if you choose to wear the headscarf; this in an Islamic country, how very strange indeed when looked at through the eyes of a foreigner who comes from a country where freedom of religion, of all religions, is a natural part of our daily lives. Yet here in Turkey the so-called turban is something to be fearful off, and alas one can only wear the headscarf tied underneath the chin. So I think the average person in Turkey needs to get his books out and just research a little into the history and background of the turban because the turban is not only part of the Islamic world, it is very much part of Turkey's past history, a history that they should be very proud of.
The word turban is traced back to Persian origins -- dulband, meaning Muslim tülbent in Turkish. If you look in the holy Quran it does not say that a woman has to cover her head. In translation the Quran contains a passage where women are admonished to cover their jewels, and such is left to the individual to interpret this; in Afghanistan for example the burqa is worn, the çarsaf in Iran or Saudi Arabia.
In Turkey the turban is classed as a head covering of any kind, a scarf or a shawl for example. During the Ottoman Empire the head covering worn by women was a round hat with a band that would encircle the head; this would help to keep the veil in place, and this style is today worn by Sikh men all over the world and no one bats an eyelid.
I come from an Irish Catholic background and both my mother and grandmother covered their heads with a shawl going to church and single women always covered their heads with a shawl when there was a male around. Ireland is a non-Muslim country but this was an acceptable part of our culture; it seems that Turkey is letting go of its culture too quickly and that this country and its people are becoming divided, a division through fear.
The Ottoman Empire is part of this country's history. I do not consider myself to be a well-read woman, but I am aware of how great an empire it was. As with all empires, of course, it had its failings, don't we all, but how times have changed in this country. Once this country and its empire had the most well-read people of its time, not only in the Islamic world but in the Western world, too; and now in the 21st century education in this country is not reaching all those who should have it, especially the vulnerable of this society. So in conclusion, shall we all carry on being fearful about the headscarf and what it represents to a person on an individual basis, or shall we look back at education two centuries ago and learn a lesson or two ourselves?
If Turkey wants to be a democratic country with a democratic view to its future, she must allow individual freedom of choice. Stop worrying about Europe and what Europe thinks and expects of you; start looking in your own backyard and start taking care of your own people; hang on to your culture and history. It's something we in the West admire.
Mary Theresa,printed in todays zaman
12.02.2008
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