Turkish Army boots out historic hijab ban
Istanbul, Feb. 22: Turkey’s Army is lifting a historic ban on women officers wearing the Islamic headscarf (hijab) in the officially secular country, the staterun Anadolu news agency said on Wednesday.
The move, ordered by the defence ministry, applies to female officers working in the general staff and command headquarters and branches, it said.
Women may wear the headscarf underneath their cap or beret so long as it is the same colour as their uniform and does not cover their faces. The reform will come into force once it is published in the official gazette. It was not immediately clear if it applied to women on combat missions. It will also apply to female cadets.
The ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party co-founded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long pressed for the removal of restrictions on women wearing hijab. Turkey lifted a ban on the wearing of hijab on university campuses in 2010. It allowed female students to wear the hijab in state institutions from 2013 and in high school in 2014.
And in the latest key reform before the Army’s
Female officers working in the general staff and command HQ and branches need not wear the hijab
It is not clear if it applies to women on combat missions. It will also apply to female cadets
move, Turkey in August last allowed policewomen to wear the hijab as part of their uniform.
Mr Erdogan’s critics have long accused him of eating away at the secular pillars of modern Turkey.