BY TUFAN TURENC
HURRIYET- Columnist Tufan Turenc comments on the headscarf issue. A summary of his column is as follows:
Ataturk began a struggle to make the Turkish nation into a modern Western society by rescuing it from Arab moves and styles. Today Turkey is continuing to fight against those who want to make headscarves put of daily life and return to these Arab ways. Saying ‘Our aim and belief is to reach the level of modern countries’ and defending headscarves is contrary to modernity, civilization and democracy. With this understanding no nation can either reach the level of modern civilizations or integrate with Europe, because Europe cannot accept the integration of religious symbols into daily life. Actually, it doesn’t accept this in any case and is taking measures against it.
The benefits Ataturk provided through his revolutions today disturb the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). For this reason, they want to take steps to change the state’s structure and the education system. They’re looking for ways to create a nation and generation in line with their views. Those who say that they favor a modern nation should know that this isn’t possible with veiled women, and not a single woman would want to live the life they point to.
What kind of a democratic understanding is this? Everybody knows that many religious sects are putting pressure on little girls and women to cover themselves with headscarves and that this pressure is greater on people with lower incomes, don’t they? If they don’t know, there are groups right here that can tell about it. They can brief people on this issue but what would change? How can such a top staff, which cloaks its own family according to the Arab Islamic understanding, see these truths? How can it accept that Islamic headscarves cannot be compatible with a democratic regime? It cannot do this because modern democratic moves requires a deep tolerance and culture.