Turkey takes step to lift student headscarf ban

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey's parliament approved in a firstround of voting on Thursday an amendment to the constitutionpermitting women students to wear the Muslim headscarf atuniversity, a measure opposed by the secular elite.

The secular establishment, which includes army generals,judges and university rectors, fears lifting the existing banwould undermine the separation of state and religion, one ofthe founding principles of the modern Turkish republic.

The amendment is one of the most significant moves onreligious freedoms in predominantly Muslim but secular Turkeysince a military coup in 1980 that led to a crackdown onindividual rights.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan says he wants to allow theheadscarf at campus to boost religious and personal freedoms.

In the final vote of the first round, completed at about 4a.m. (2:00 a.m. British time), the amendment was approved by404 to 92, easily exceeding the required two-thirdsparliamentary majority of 367.

The amendment, sponsored by the Islamist-rooted ruling AKParty and the opposition MHP, is expected to be approved in afinal round of voting on Saturday as both parties have morethan the two-thirds majority in seats between them.

Two-thirds of Turkish women wear headscarves and many ofthem stopped going to university after a ban on wearing them inpublic institutions was extended to universities in 1989.

The ban was significantly tightened in 1997 when Turkey'sarmy generals, acting with public support, ousted a governmentthey deemed too Islamist.

Those opposed to lifting the ban see the headscarf as asymbol of their worst fears that Turkey could eventually slideinto Islamic sharia law as practised in neighbouring Iran.

(For a Faithworld blog on the headscarf debate please see:http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/01/31/turkish-tempers-flare-as-headscarf-reform-nears/ )

(Writing by Paul de Bendern; Editing by Ralph Gowling)