Turkey's Constitutional Court upholds ban on headscarves at universities

ANKARA, Turkey -- In a major blow to the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), the Constitutional Court rejected on Thursday (June 5th) amendments to the constitution that lifted the ban on Islamic headscarves at universities. Though the Constitutional Court's rapporteur recommended against considering the case for jurisdictional reasons, the court decided otherwise. Judges voted 9 to 2 to reinstate the ban, saying that wearing Islamic headscarves at universities violates the principle of secularism. The AKP had pushed the amendment through parliament in February in a bid to strengthen religious freedoms and increase public access to education. Many young women refuse to attend universities because they would have to give up headscarves.

The BBC reports Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is meeting with fellow AKP officials on Friday to discuss their next move. Thursday's ruling may signal how the Constitutional Court will rule in a pending case aimed at closing down the AKP entirely. (Zaman, Hurriyet, BBC - 06/06/08; NTV, Anadolu Agency, AP, Bloomberg - 05/06/08)

Inform,06.06.08