Turk Gumption
Junior Member
March 7, 1989: The Constitutional Court annulled the legislation allowing the headscarf.
Oct. 25, 1990: A new addition was made to the Higher Education Law, stating that “freedom of apparel is allowed in institutions of higher education provided that it does not conflict with other laws.”
July 14, 1992: Mehmet Sağlam was appointed the president of the Higher Education Board (YÖK). Based on a new addition to the Higher Education Law, he did not apply the headscarf ban to the universities.
Dec. 6, 1995: Kemal Gürüz became the president of YÖK. He revised the policy and enforced a strict ban on the headscarf based on the top court’s interpretation in 1989.
Aug. 28, 2007: The draft constitution was prepared by a committee of six legal experts. The committee proposed two alternatives to eliminate the ban. The first stated that “nobody can be denied the right to education based on clothing or dress codes.” The second stated that “there is freedom of dress in institutions of higher education.”
Sept. 17, 2007: Top AK Party leaders reviewed the draft constitution and decided to go ahead with the first proposal on the headscarf.
Dec. 13, 2007: MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli proposed an amendment to Article 10 of the Constitution as a way to lift the ban.
Jan. 14, 2008: Prime Minister Erdoğan, while on a visit to Spain, said: “Even if the headscarf is a political symbol as its critics charge, how can you accept this as a crime? Can you ban symbols? Where in the world is there such a ban from the viewpoint of freedoms?”
Jan. 15, 2008: Commenting on the PM’s remarks in Spain, Bahçeli asked for social consensus to solve the headscarf problem.
Jan. 16, 2008: Upon his return from Spain, Erdoğan called opposition parties to action on the headscarf issue, saying: “Let us not wait for a new constitution. This is very easy to solve. The MHP is in. Forget the [Republican People’s Party] CHP.”
Jan. 17, 2008: MHP leader Bahçeli put the party’s proposal in writing and shared it with the AK Party.
Jan. 23, 2008: AK Party presented its counterproposal to the MHP.
Jan. 24, 2008: The AK Party and MHP reached a compromise, deciding to change articles 10 and 42 of the Constitution.
Jan. 25, 2008: A scheduled summit between the AK Party and MHP was postponed because of concerns over the wording of the amendments.
Jan. 28, 2008: Top party leaders convened again and reached a full compromise after lengthy discussions.
Feb. 9, 2008: The ban was lifted with the passage of the amendments by 80 percent, or 411, of the deputies in Parliament.
Feb. 22, 2008: President Abdullah Gül ratified the amendments.
Feb. 27, 2008: The CHP and (Democratic Left Party) DSP petitioned the top court to annul the amendments.
March 11, 2008: The Council of State reversed the order lifting the ban at universities that was issued by YÖK President Yusuf Ziya Özcan.
For Resource
Oct. 25, 1990: A new addition was made to the Higher Education Law, stating that “freedom of apparel is allowed in institutions of higher education provided that it does not conflict with other laws.”
July 14, 1992: Mehmet Sağlam was appointed the president of the Higher Education Board (YÖK). Based on a new addition to the Higher Education Law, he did not apply the headscarf ban to the universities.
Dec. 6, 1995: Kemal Gürüz became the president of YÖK. He revised the policy and enforced a strict ban on the headscarf based on the top court’s interpretation in 1989.
Aug. 28, 2007: The draft constitution was prepared by a committee of six legal experts. The committee proposed two alternatives to eliminate the ban. The first stated that “nobody can be denied the right to education based on clothing or dress codes.” The second stated that “there is freedom of dress in institutions of higher education.”
Sept. 17, 2007: Top AK Party leaders reviewed the draft constitution and decided to go ahead with the first proposal on the headscarf.
Dec. 13, 2007: MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli proposed an amendment to Article 10 of the Constitution as a way to lift the ban.
Jan. 14, 2008: Prime Minister Erdoğan, while on a visit to Spain, said: “Even if the headscarf is a political symbol as its critics charge, how can you accept this as a crime? Can you ban symbols? Where in the world is there such a ban from the viewpoint of freedoms?”
Jan. 15, 2008: Commenting on the PM’s remarks in Spain, Bahçeli asked for social consensus to solve the headscarf problem.
Jan. 16, 2008: Upon his return from Spain, Erdoğan called opposition parties to action on the headscarf issue, saying: “Let us not wait for a new constitution. This is very easy to solve. The MHP is in. Forget the [Republican People’s Party] CHP.”
Jan. 17, 2008: MHP leader Bahçeli put the party’s proposal in writing and shared it with the AK Party.
Jan. 23, 2008: AK Party presented its counterproposal to the MHP.
Jan. 24, 2008: The AK Party and MHP reached a compromise, deciding to change articles 10 and 42 of the Constitution.
Jan. 25, 2008: A scheduled summit between the AK Party and MHP was postponed because of concerns over the wording of the amendments.
Jan. 28, 2008: Top party leaders convened again and reached a full compromise after lengthy discussions.
Feb. 9, 2008: The ban was lifted with the passage of the amendments by 80 percent, or 411, of the deputies in Parliament.
Feb. 22, 2008: President Abdullah Gül ratified the amendments.
Feb. 27, 2008: The CHP and (Democratic Left Party) DSP petitioned the top court to annul the amendments.
March 11, 2008: The Council of State reversed the order lifting the ban at universities that was issued by YÖK President Yusuf Ziya Özcan.
For Resource
