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Turkey[edit]
Main article:
Headscarf controversy in Turkey
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's wife,
Lâtife Uşaklıgil, wearing a
hijab and
jilbāb in 1923.
Turkey is officially a
secular state, and the hijab was banned in universities and public buildings until late 2013 – this included libraries or government buildings. The ban was first in place during the
1980 military coup, but the law was strengthened more in 1997. Over the years thousands of women have been arrested or prosecuted for refusing to take off the hijab or protesting against the ban, by the secular institution. There has been some unofficial relaxation of the ban under governments led by the conservative party AKP in recent years, for example the current government of the
AKP is willing to lift the ban in universities, however the new law was upheld by the
constitutional court, and on the other hand the
military sees itself as the protector of secularism. The ban has been highly controversial since its implementation, in a country where 99% are either practicing or nominal
Muslims or assumed as Muslim by the state. Some researchers claim that around 60% of Turkish women cover their heads; however, many women wear a cultural headscarf that is not a symbol of the
Quran. This is often mistaken by some, who instead assume that the headscarf in Turkish research only symbolises the hijab and not the cultural one, and this is probably why many think that a majority of Turkish women wear Islamic covering. Researches also shows that the usage of the Hijab has declined since the 1990s. In cities like
Istanbul and
Ankara most women do not cover their heads. In some cities in eastern Turkey where a conservative mentality still is more dominant more women cover their heads .On 7 February 2008, the Turkish Parliament passed an amendment to the constitution, allowing women to wear the headscarf in Turkish universities, arguing that many women would not seek an education if they could not wear the hijab.The decision was met with powerful opposition and protests from
secularists. On 5 June 2008, the
Constitutional Court of Turkey reinstated the ban on constitutional grounds of the secularity of the state.
[68] Headscarves had become a focal point of the conflict between the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the secularist establishment, which includes the courts, universities, and army. The ruling was widely seen as a victory for Turks who claim this maintains Turkey's separation of state and religion