Turkish ruling party female members urge no ban on hijab

PanARMENIAN.Net - Women of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) have urged for the new constitution to allow for the freedom to wear headscarves in all areas of the public realm as part of proposals they submitted to parliament speaker Cemil Çiçek.

According to Hurriyet Daily News, the proposal, titled “The new civil constitution from the viewpoint of women,” also said that the new charter should place greater importance on family and religion as well as democracy, and stop imposing secularism.

The demand to freely wear headscarves and other “religious and political symbols” encompasses all areas of the public realm, including deputies in parliament, but excluding the judiciary, security and education fields. It also stated that while teachers should not wear such items of clothing, students should be free to wear headscarves.

The 15-page report also highlighted that the current parliamentary system has had problems maintaining the separation of powers, and that a presidential system should be considered, for the parliamentary system to continue in a healthy way.

The basis of women’s rights is human rights, the party representatives pointed out, emphasizing that if human rights are not protected, discrimination against women, children, the disabled and homosexuals cannot be prevented.

Meanwhile, the Constitution Conciliation Commission will begin drafting the new constitution on May 1. Special rooms are being prepared both on the Parliament grounds and in other buildings in Ankara that will provide more privacy for commission members. The commission has unanimously decided to carry out the drafting process in complete secrecy.