FIRST TIME HEADSCARF BAN IN EU REPORT
By Selcuk Gultasli, Brussels

Zaman Online, Turkey
Sept 10 2006

The European Parliament (EP), which is the target of harsh criticisms
both in Turkey and in Europe, has for the first time included the
headscarf issue in its annual report.

Cem Ozdemir, a Turkish origin deputy, and Dutch-born Joost Lagendijk
from the Greens Party, brought the issue of the headscarf ban, which
is implemented in Turkish universities, to the parliament’s agenda.

Ozdemir and Lagendijk believe it is the E.U. Commission’s turn to
take action. Both EP members acknowledged that the E.U. Commission,
which prepares a detailed report on Turkey each year, cannot remain
indifferent to such a problem, and added the progress report should
cover the headscarf issue as well.

The deputies managed to include the revision proposal suggesting
Ottoman tolerance as a model for Turkey in the draft report. The
draft report, which recommends Turkey should acknowledge the so-called
Armenian "genocide" in order to gain E.U. entry, now refers to Ottoman
tolerance as well.

Commission sources report that they will not make any comment until
the end of September when the EP report will be officially approved.

The commission has not covered the headscarf issue in the progress
reports until now claiming there has been no consensus over the issue
in the E.U. and in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).

Rapporteur Eurlings, who allocates extensive coverage to the religious
liberties of minorities in his reports, had initially objected to the
proposal of including the headscarf issue in the report. However, when
Ozdemir and Lagendijk suggested that this attitude could be perceived
as "hypocrisy" and would weaken the E.U.’s hand in demanding rights
for minorities, Eurlings gave the green light to the proposal.

Turkey-E.U. Joint Parliament Committee Co-Chairman Joost Lagendijk
believes Turkey should at least allow the headscarf to be worn at the
country’s universities. Speaking to Zaman, Lagendijk indicated that
Turkey needs to reach an agreement about the headscarf and stressed
the E.U. is expected to acknowledge the problem exists and that heated
debate over the issue continues in Turkey in the report that it will
prepare on November 24.

The E.U. Commission termed the reaction of secularist circles disturbed
by the EP’s decision to cover the issue as "exaggerated."

Lagendik stressed that the Justice and Development Party (AKP) should
clarify its attitude about the headscarf issue and the secularist
circles should be open the issue to discussion.

"At least France should be taken as a model"

The other architect of the change, Ozdemir, said the proposals
did not foresee any models, adding that Turkey could at least take
France as an example; implementing the strictest form of secularism
in Europe. "As you know, there is no headscarf ban at universities
in France," he said.

Ozdemir believes a taboo has been broken with the inclusion of the
headscarf issue in the EP report and is optimistic that the problem
will be eliminated in the upcoming EP reports.

"The E.U. should no longer remain indifferent to the problem. Turkey
has taken France as an example in many issues. Why doesn’t it take
it as an example again on this issue? We did not ask them to take the
UK as an example, which is the most liberal model in Europe," Ozdemir
said, adding that the French model could be a ground for consensus.

The proposal put forth by Ozdemir and Lagendijk, which has been
adopted in the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs
(AFET), will expectedly be approved in the final voting at the end
of the month and included in the report, if no surprises occur.

"There is an ongoing discussion about the headscarf issue in Turkish
society. There is no European rule about the issue, hopefully a
consensus will be reached allowing university students to wear
headscarves in Turkey," the proposal read.