Merve Kavakci

Just a few weeks ago, I happened to watch Al Jazeera. This Qatar-based tv station was reporting on headscarf ban in Turkey, a country where 99% of the population are muslims. Although a so-called muslim reformist party, Justice and Development Party (AKP, Adalet ve Kalkinma Partisi) has been ruling the parliament and its president has become the Prime Minister, headscarf ban for muslim women still continues. Headscarf is strictly banned in both public and private schools and universities and government offices. This results in inability of thousands of devout muslim girls who are dying to have education, yet cannot give up their headscarves, to get enrolled in schools and universities. Some of them who are lucky enough, choose to study overseas, where they can freely express their religiosity (ironically, in western countries which are obviously not recognizing "islamic value" whatsoever). When Al Jazeera interviewed one of the AKP officers, he said that headscarf issue is not the main priority, since AKP is currently more focussed to economic development of the country. To be honest, his statement broke my heart, even though I know that they are facing a very difficult barrier regarding headscarf issue. I also know that most of AKP members of parliament (MP) have wifes who wear headscarf, including the PM's wife.

It seemed that the ruling party, which is rooted from its predecessor islamist party, Refah (which was also banned), cannot do much about this. Military is the true defender of secularism, which makes it like it is a "state religion", and they are men with guns. AKP always identifies themselves as a muslim-rooted party that fully embraces secularism, which probably that was the cause of their winning in last election, rule the parliament, and placed Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president of the party, as PM. Their identity is also accepted by military, by letting them rule the country. FYI, when Refah Party identified themselves as an islamist party, won the election and placed Necmettin Erbakan, who had a strong image as a devout and 'fundamentalist' muslim, as Prime Minister, it only lasted a year, between 1996 and 1997, before they were kicked out by military power. They considered Erbakan and his Refah Party as a threat to 'holy' secularism. Refah was then banned.

Regarding the powerlessness of AKP in front of the secular extremists, recently they finally withdrew Abdullah Gul, former IDB economist and currently Foreign Minister, from presidential candidacy due to strong resistance from military, opposition parties and turkish people as well. Why was the resistance very strong? It was because Gul's wife is a practicing muslim woman who wears headscarf! And it became a problem because in Turkey, a President, in a way, is more powerful than PM and a decision maker of the national policies. The secular extremists, again, considered Gul and his headscarfed wife, as a threat to their 'religion'.

Anyway, after watching Al Jazeera's coverage on Turkey's headscarf ban, I was then provoked to find out any news regarding this issue on internet. Until a few days ago, I found out about Merve Safa Kavakci. She was a former turkish MP of Virtue Party (Fazilet Partisi), elected in 1999. This party was also rooted from Refah, but they identified themselves as an islamist party. Their colleagues who had different opinion, later formed AKP. When she entered the parliament conference room to take an oath, proudly with her headscarf on, she was yelled by leftist party members, they were standing, clapping hands, yelling at her to get out of the building. Bulent Ecevit, he was the PM at that time, made a provoking speech by saying, "put this woman in her place!" After the incidence, Kavakci simply said with pride, "I was testing their tolerance, they failed!" Then horrible things happened to her and her family. The local mass media terrorized her by spreading full of hatred news all over the country. Her family was harassed, even her young daughters were psychologically bullied by their schoolmates. And finally 11 days after the incidence in parliament, she lost her citizenship and was forced to seek political asylum to another country. Now she resides in US.

Her website provides many of her talks and interviews videos, recorded from tv and other events. There are also videos about headscarf ban cases and victims. In one of her videos, she was giving a talk in Canada, and telling the absurdity of 'secular fundamentalism' (that is how she called it) practices in Turkey: There are two headscarf styles in Turkey, housewive/old lady style and educated women style. Old lady usually wears headscarf by letting the neck part not pinned, so it makes the neck area possibly uncovered. While an educated woman always pins the neck part to prevent the headscarf loose. The first one is ignored by the state, while the latter one is heavily considered as a threat. Another case; many of the AKP male MPs are devout and 'fundamentalist' muslims. They even did not really agree with Kavakci being an MP, very outspoken and wearing trousers. Many of them also grows beard, yet, they are not considered as threat to secularism.

Watching her talks and speech, and knowing the victims of headscarf ban in Turkey, I get very emotional. Hundreds of cases have happened, and most of them are harassment to headscarfed women, ironically, by their fellow muslims. "Muslims opressing Muslims", said Kavakci. She even appreciated western countries more by valuing her beyond her look. So below is one of the videos that gives a description of headscarf ban in Turkey. I was going to embed Kavakci's talks, but the duration was too long, makes it not possible to be embedded from Youtube.



After watching the video, knowing how hard their struggle to maintain their faith, hopefully it could inspire all muslimahs to appreciate deeper the true meaning of hijab!