Azerbaijan, Baku, 15 July/ Trend , corr S. Ilhamgizi/ Judge of the European Court on Human Rights Khanlar Hajiyev supports the decision of the Constitution Court of Turkey which upheld the ban on wearing hijab.
"The Constitutional Court of Turkey protected secular principles and this decision is a very important step for the future of the country," Hajiyev said to Trend .
At the initiative of the ruling Justice and Development Party of Turkey, the draft of changes to the Constitutional Court aimed at cancelling on ban entering religious women of Turkey with hijab (head cover) to the state-owned higher schools were adopted in the Great National Assembly (parliament of Turkey). However, the Constitutional Court of Turkey overturned the draft of changes and upheld the ban on hijab.
According to Hajiyev, by issuing such decision, the Constitutional Court of Turkey has made an important step. The European Court did not satisfy the appeal on canceling ban on wearing hijab as well, he said. "The student of the medial department of Istanbul University Leyla Shahin, who was evicted from university for wearing hijab, appealed the European Court on Human Rights, but her appeal was rejected in 2004. The Constitutional Court of Turkey also supported this decision," he said. "Actually, the Constitutional Court repeated the decision adopted earlier by the European Court," he added.
According to Hajiyev, the fact that the Constitutional Court upheld ban on hijab aims at keeping the country committed to the secular principles and insuring its successful future. "Some people in Turkey do not understand the core and importance of it. But the near future will show that if Turkey goes on protecting secularism, it will have great future and it will achieve great success in politics, economy, law and democracy. If not, it can have very bad results," he said.
According to Hajiyev, the ban on hijab is not violation of human rights. According to Hajiyev, the religion and state are separated in Turkey and as the state in Turkey is built on secular principles, it must be committed to these principles. "If the ideas and traditions of Ataturk, which are the guarantee for development of Turkey, will be observed further, the country will further develop," he said.
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