Columnist Cuneyt Ulsever, writing in the Turkish Daily News in July 2006, argued that authoritarian societies are shaped not only by formal legislation but by informal social pressure that can be equally coercive. He cited Iran as an example, noting that although an Iranian official told a visiting Turkish female journalist that women are not legally required to cover their heads, the weight of public expectation effectively makes going without a headscarf impossible.
Ulsever also addressed an incident in which girls performing in a traditional dance group before Parliament Speaker Bulent Arinc and State Minister Nimet Cubukcu appeared wearing headscarves. He suggested neither official requested this, nor was the provincial governor likely aware of it. Instead, he wrote, someone simply wanted to make a favorable impression on the officials present.
The columnist attributed such behavior to a broader tendency in societies to imitate and defer to powerful figures, whether out of admiration or fear. He observed that this impulse intensifies within group settings, where one person's gesture of deference can quickly spread to everyone present. He concluded that leaders bear responsibility for both their words and their actions, given the outsized influence they exert on those around them.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in July 2006, in its own words.