Turkey Again

The damn country just won't stay out of the news!

I mentioned during the Istanbul posts that it was illegal to wear a headscarf in government buildings and public schools. Well, that seems to be coming to an end:

Two of Turkey's main political parties are pushing for a constitutional amendment to lift bans on headscarves at public universities, a move that has caused concern among Turkey's secular population.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan initiated the move, saying it would create equality in Turkey's higher education.

[...]

The proposal to change Turkey's constitution sent chills through Turkey's secular population. Women's groups went to parliament Tuesday to voice their rejection.

"This is a direct threat to the republic and its foundations," said Deniz Baykal, leader of Turkey's main secular party, CHP.

Another CHP lawmaker said she fears that if the proposal is enacted, parents will feel pressure to have their daughters wear headscarves, even in elementary school.

Mustafa Akaydin, head of Turkey's Higher Education Commission, is against the proposal. He said that allowing headscarves would be a rejection of Turkey's secular system of government.

"It is an attempt to create a counterrevolution," Akaydin said. "It will be a breaking point."

I say chill out; though I'm obviously in favour of secular government, banning heardscarves is only going to create a sense of repression among pious Muslims where none need to exist. This is probably a necessary step for Turkey's ongoing modernization.

I also mentioned that the Turks have been menacing the Iraqi Kurdish areas; that does not appear to be coming to an end.

Turkish warplanes bombed three villages Monday in a mountainous area of northern Iraq near where the borders of Iraq, Iran and Turkey meet, according to a Turkish military statement.

A spokesman for Iraqi Kurdish regional security forces told CNN there were no casualties since most residents moved out of the area in the wake of Turkish bombardments in recent months.

Turkey has been targeting rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK -- which has been launching cross-border attacks against Turkey from Iraq.

The PKK has spent two decades fighting for autonomy for Kurds in southeastern Turkey. The United States and European Union consider the group a terrorist organization.