In Ankara. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that a referendum to develop a constitutional guarantee of the right to wear the veil in state institutions, schools and universities, while observers believe that the move aims to bid and exploit religion within the framework of political conflict with the approaching Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections to be organized in June 2023 .
“If you have the courage, come, let us subject this to the referendum . ..
calling on the people of the country to decide.
The discussion recently intensified about wearing the veil in Turkey before the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections amid fears by many political forces of targeting the secularism of the Turkish state and the concentration of a religious state.
Turkey, whose constitution emphasised secularism, has long forbade the wearing of the veil in government buildings like the parliament and the army, as well as in public schools and colleges. But in 2013, the Erdogan administration tightened the regulations around the veil’s wear.
In contrast to the 1990s, when the topic sparked a contentious debate, Turkey’s political landscape at this time does not support its ban.
Even the Republican People’s Party leader, Keldaroglu, stated at the beginning of October, “In the past, we have been wrong regarding the veil. It’s time to get past this issue and for politicians to stop responding to it.”
According to observers, the opposition leader wanted to reassure conservative voters traditionally voting for the Erdogan Justice and Development Party.
The Turkish president invited his opponent to incorporate this privilege in the constitution as a response to this attempt to sway conservative opinion at the beginning of the month.
Erdogan questioned on Saturday, “Is there still a difference between ladies who wear veils and those who don’t? in classrooms? No, we were successful in that, Erdogan questioned on Saturday.
A constitutional amendment will shortly be submitted to Parliament.
However, he continued, “We will put the issue to the people if Parliament is unable to address it.
Observers believe that the issue of the veil, in addition to other religious issues, has become a file of political auctions by the government of the Justice and Development Party that failed in the face of economic challenges, as inflation and deficit increased as the lira lost its value.
In 2020, the Turkish president converted the Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque that sparked international condemnation, but Erdogan wanted to satisfy the religious currents in support of his approach.
Erdogan’s strategy, which is contributing to Turkey’s increasing Islamization and was one of the reasons the European Union refused to include Ankara, is still being resisted by secular currents.
With the impending elections in Turkey, a veil enters the political arena.
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