The Disqualification of Women Wearing the Headscarf in Turkey, Spring 2007

The author presents an outline of the last two decades of the headscarf controversy in Turkey, from the perspective of a ‘religious feminist’. She questions not only the intentions of those who present the headscarf as a threat, but also the sincerity of the government in wanting women with headscarves to fully join public life. The author explains how the headscarf is not necessarily a part of package that includes different forms of degradation of women, as much as cases like Afghanista nnaturally make the world think otherwise. Almost 20 years ago, in the front yard of the Faculty of Theology of Ankara University, a group of young girls were on a hunger strike forthe first time in their lives, protesting the headscarf ban on students.They perceived the impasse as being rooted in the power struggle between the secular elites and religious people...Please click here to read the text in full.