ERDOGAN WARNS AGAINST JUDICIAL INTERFERENCE

The prime minister of Turkey responded harshly to judicial interference in the controversy surrounding the wearing of the Islamic headscarf in universities. This heated issue was rekindled by Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself when he said in Spain that the use of the headscarf as a political symbol was not an offence, a comment that has drawn adverse reactions from many circles. The Supreme Court of Appeals chief public prosecutor, joining the debate, said wearing a headscarf at school goes against the unitary structure of the state and condemned as “unconstitutional” the government’s proposal to ease the headscarf ban. Erdogan also lashed out at the media which he said should report the progress Turkey has made over the years instead of delving on issues of dress and the headscarf. The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) had previously said it would relax the ban through a planned new constitution but it will take at least a year for Parliament and the public – in a referendum – to approve the charter.