Reading this BBC article about Turks protesting a proposed constitutional amendment allowing women to wear head scarves in universities. The country, where 99% of the population is Muslim (according to wikipedia), is still considered a secular, parliamentary republic. During the elections in July, 2007, the Justice and Development Party won, despite being accused of holding secret Islamic agendas. To me, it's obvious that people should be allowed to wear what they want, especially when it adheres to religious rules. This reminds me of the French ban of religious attire, but their's included Sikh turbans, Jewish kippahs and Christian crosses.
The non-Muslim Turks are so suspicious of anything remotely Islamic--they protested the campaigns of President Abdullah Gul because of his religion and the fact that his wife wears a hijab.
Really, the governments are just letting down the students, if it is part of your religion to dress a certain way, and it's not in a risque manner or anything, then why shouldn't they be allowed to? By banning religious clothing, the students are left with no choice but to further their education somewhere else.
And what does that say about Turkey if the government isn't allowed to accommodate different religions?
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