Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct. 20 / Trend U. Sadikhova /
The prohibition of women's headscarves in Turkey is used for political purposes, because the problem has already found its solution in the society, Turkish experts said.
The analysts said that on the eve of parliamentary elections in 2011, the question will increasingly gain momentum.
"In principle, the issue of headscarves in Turkey was resolved several years ago, however, at this stage it rises for political purposes," Turan Kıslakcı, the director of Information Portal TİMETURK, told Trend over phone from Ankara.
The leader of the Turkish opposition Nationalist Movement Party, Devlet Bahceli, said that he was ready to discuss the future problems of women, wearing headscarves - hijab in public places, with the ruling party, Cihan agency said.
Bahceli agreed to amend the basic law of Turkey, which banned women, wearing hijab, to attend universities and work in state bodies. However, the solution much depends on the positions of the National Democratic Party and the ruling Justice and Development Party, Bahceli told media.
Wearing hijab has anew became urgent in Turkey, mostly populated by Muslims, after Turkey's higher education commission decided to lift the ban on headscarves while attending the universities.
After this decision, female students, wearing traditional Muslim headscarves, will be able to freely attend classes despite the Turkish Constitution has not been amended yet to permit the wearing of hijab in public places. According to a recent poll, more than 69 percent of the population wear hijab.
Experts do not think that the problem with hijab in Turkey is of social character after the lifting of the ban to wear it at the universities. It is more likely used by the parties to collect votes in the upcoming elections.
"Turkish people do not consider it as a social problem. The People's Democratic Party after the referendum has raised this issue to put pressure on the ruling party," Kıslakcı said. Standing against the law reform, the People's Democratic Party, as a sign of protest, refused from participating in an official reception in honor of Independence Day in Turkey on Oct. 29 because Turkish First Lady Hayrunnisa Gul, who also wears hijab, attended the event.
There is no sense to inflate the issue of wearing hijab at the domestic political level, Turkish analyst Hasan Kanbolat said.
He said that this issue is being resolved within the democratic process in Turkey.
"Practically, this problem has already been exhausted because female students were allowed to wear headscarves at the universities, despite the law remains unchanged," Kanbolat, head of the Turkish Center for Middle Eastern Strategic Studies (ORSAM), told Trend over phone.
The democratic process, pursued by Turkey during the last five years, played a great role in lifting the ban on wearing hijab, as it was contrary to the rights of believers and religious minorities, Kanbolat said.
Suleyman Sensoy, head of Turkish-Asian Center for Strategic Studies (TASAM), also shares this opinion.
He said that the issue regarding the final liquidation of the ban on wearing headscarves by women must be resolved within the compliance with international human rights.
However, the People's Democratic Party uses the issue to return many votes, lost in the September referendum on constitutional amendments proposed by Prime Minister Erdogan's party.
This party and the National Movement Party were the main rivals of the ruling party, but got only 42 percent vs. 58 percent.
One of the reasons of losing the votes became the slogan of the People's Democratic Party before the referendum. A Christian nun, who represented the future of Turkish women after approval of constitutional amendments, was depicted there.
"Political parties must come to a consensus, rather than inflate the issue before the elections to resolve this problem within international law," Shensoy told Trend over phone.
Experts think that the problem will be resolved after the 2011 elections.
"It is possible that this problem will be resolved after the elections," Shensoy said.
Kıslakcı said that the problem with hijab will be fully resolved if women MPs wearing hijabs are able to be admitted to the parliament in the 2011 elections.
"The ban for women, wearing head scarves, to work and occupy senior positions in state organizations, remains the stumbling block," Kıslakcı, member of Trend Expert Council, said.
However, there will be no obstacles in resolving this issue if women, wearing head scarves, are able to be admitted to the parliament, Kıslakcı said.