The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) held a two-hour hearing in Strasbourg in October 2006 on whether compulsory religious culture and ethics courses in Türkiye's primary and secondary schools violate human rights guarantees.
The case was brought by Hasan Zengin, an Alevi, and his daughter Eylem, after Turkish courts refused his request to have her exempted from the lessons. Zengin argued the curriculum was rooted in Sunni Islamic teaching and therefore neither neutral nor compatible with secularism.
At the ECHR hearing, Türkiye's legal representative maintained that the mandatory courses conform to the court's rules, while attorneys for the applicants contended the requirement conflicts with secular principles.
The original application, filed in 2004, cited Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, covering freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, and Article 2 of Protocol No. 1, covering the right to education. Zengin argued the courses as taught infringe his daughter's religious freedom and his parental right to guide her education according to their convictions.
The ECHR said it would announce its ruling at a later date.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in October 2006, in its own words.