An Erdogan supporter is nominated to head the Council for Third Level Education, which could lead to an end to the ban on Islamic veils within universities, as on the streets increasing numbers of women are wearing headscarves.

Ankara (AsiaNews) –Over 90% of Turks declare themselves “believers” and over half claim they “practise” their faith.  This is the result of a recently published survey which confirms that Turkey is fast becoming an increasingly Islamic nation, a fact further confirmed by the growth in numbers of women who wear the veil.  Added to this, President Abdullah Gul’s nomination of the sociologist Yusuf Ziya Ozcan to head the Council for Third Level Education YOK, which could bring down the traditional ban on the Islamic headscarf within university compounds.

YOK, which also groups together judges and army officials, indicates the will to appoint people close to the party of premier Erdogan to key positions. A relatively important fact, because the head of this organisation has complete control over all decisions regarding University education programmes, imposed according to the Kemalist dictates, a post that has been entrusted to a person who has expressed his favour for the liberalisation of the use of the veil – currently banned in universities – by female students.

Speaking about this in his first interview given to Anatolia news agency, Ozcan declared his “conviction that universities must be free and that they should be dedicated to scientific knowledge and to preparing students for the challenger of the 21st century.  This is my aim: increase scientific learning.  If we can achieve this, many other problems, including that of the veil, will be automatically resolved.  We want Universities where people can freely express their convictions, without restrictions”.

This point of view is an in direct attack on the Kemalist concept of public education and comes on the heels of yet another important decision by the Erdogan government to change rules on access to the legal profession.  Up until now the exam was a written test, now it will include an oral examination.  This has provoked widespread reaction among attorneys and judges, of a Kemalist background, who have organised protest marches and accuse the government of aiming to facilitate access of pro AKP party candidates to the profession by introducing these changes, thus undermining the secular nature of the State.

Neither can the results of a recent survey carried out by Tartan Erdem of Konda group and published by the prestigious Radikal news paper be ignored.  The questionnaire on religion and secularism in Turkey showed that 52.8 % Turks declare they practise a religion; 34.3 % are believers; 9.7% devout; 2.3% agnostic and 0.9% atheist. This means that the vast majority of Turks are believers who practise their faith.  This survey confirms that Turkey is becoming a nation where religion is increasingly important. Turkey, concludes the survey, is faithful to its tradition of being open to modernisation and innovation.

At this point the results of the current government’s political decisions are awaited, to see if they represent an attempt to effectively democratise Turkish society, and therefore increased involvement in decision making process, or if they are choices imposed from on high, a factor which has long characterised the political and civil history in Turkey. (NT)

 

• Turkey
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• university
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• veil
• Islam
• democracy
• politics
• judiciary
• kemal
• attaturk