Speaking after meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara Monday, Zeki Sezer, the chairman of the Democratic Left Party (DSP), said he was concerned about the tension that escalated due to headscarf issue.
“We shared our view with Prime Minister Erdogan that this process should be stopped and a common formula should be found after the tension is eased,”
Sezer said.
Discussions over the lifting of the headscarf ban had spread from the political arena to universities and all segments of the society, he said.
“We have seen that a tense atmosphere has been installed due to headscarf issue, and we are concerned about it,” said Sezer.
Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party, supported by the far right wing Nationalist Movement Party, are supporting amendments to two articles of the constitution and to legislation covering higher education in Turkey, that would allow women to wear the headscarf while attending university.
Opponents of the amendments claim lifting the headscarf ban at universities will pave the way for the ban to be removed in other areas, such as lower education and the public service.
