In the run-up to the presidential and parliamentary elections that will take place next year, the headscarf debate in Turkey is flaring up again. The leader of the secular CHP party recently proposed a law guaranteeing the right to wear a headscarf. Head of state Recep Tayyip Erdogan then went one step further and proposed a referendum on the amendment of the constitution. It is intended to guarantee the right of women to wear a headscarf in state institutions, schools and universities.
“If you have the courage, let’s hold a referendum on the issue,” Erdogan said during a televised appearance on Saturday. The president responded to statements by opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu of the CHP. With his initiative, Kilicdaroglu aimed to allay concerns that his party could introduce a headscarf ban if he wins the election. “We have made mistakes in the past with regard to the headscarf,” Kilicdaroglu admitted.
AKP lifts headscarf ban
The majority of the Turkish population is Muslim, but the separation of religion and state is enshrined in the constitution. However, in 2013, Erdogan’s conservative Islamist party AKP lifted the long-standing ban on wearing the Islamic headscarf in state institutions.
Erdogan repeatedly cites the lifting of the headscarf ban as an example of his party’s defense of devout Muslims against secular parties. Unlike in the 1990s, no political party in Turkey is now campaigning for a headscarf ban.
proposed constitutional amendment
Erdogan now suggested that the constitutional amendment on the right to wear the headscarf should be submitted to parliament “soon”. Implementing such a change without a referendum would require a majority of 400 MPs – that is, the CHP would have to agree to it.
Otherwise, the reform proposal could be put to the vote of the citizens by 360 votes. “If this problem cannot be solved in parliament, we will put it before the people,” Erdogan said.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
