Ankara, Turkey - Turkey’s top prosecutor has warned that easing restrictions on wearing the Islamic headscarf could lead to civil unrest and undermine the secular nature of the Turkish state.
Responding to suggestions from the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that a simple amendment to the constitution would end the ban on women wearing the headscarf, Supreme Court Chief Public Prosecutor Abdurrahman Yalcinkaya said political parties cannot have the goal to change the republic’s secular character.
Disregarding the main principles of the republic and 85 years of achievements and providing certain rights to ethnic groups, sects and racists will divide the people and lead to clashes, Yalcinkaya said in a statement issued late Thursday.
Parties must not act in a way or make statements that would make the protection of secularism impossible or use religion or symbols of religion for political gains, Yalcinkaya said. Political parties also cannot promote minorities based on religion, sect, race or language, he said.
“They can not work to create a state based on differences of language, race, religion, and sect,” said Yalcinkaya. “Otherwise, it would be impossible to preserve the democratic state system.”
The rights and freedoms mentioned in the Constitution can not be used to destroy the unity of the state with the nation and eradicate the democratic and secular republic, he said.
“Every state, which is independent and sovereign, should have a state policy superior to political parties,” Yalcinkaya said.
According to the prosecutor, the freedom to wear some clothes in educational institutions might create an area of activity against secular and unitary structure.
When political parties were attempting to change the regulatory or legal and constitutional structure, they should consider that all rules and activities must be legal and democratic, he said.