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‘Headscarf still an issue,' Parliament speaker says
Speaker of Parliament Köksal Toptan has said the headscarf issue remains a social problem, saying that it should cease to be on the agenda and must be resolved as soon as possible and once and for all.
Toptan was answering questions from the press upon his arrival at the Ankara Chamber of Commerce's (ATO) conference hall to attend a meeting sponsored by the Turkish Association of Agriculture (TZD). Toptan stressed that the headscarf was still a social problem and that it had to be settled immediately one way or another. "Technically speaking, I don't think it can be resolved through a change in the constitution, but since it stands out as a social problem, it should cease to be on Turkey's agenda," he said.
In response to questions on the notorious Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK), Toptan said: "It is apparent that it is the Turkish citizens who are implied in the phrase 'Turkishness' in Article 301. It is obvious that we cannot possibly file any lawsuits in connection with an insult hurled at people of Turkish origin who live outside of Turkey. The government is working on this issue. Once it is finished and submitted to Parliament, the optimal steps will be taken. But let me say this: The hypothesis that 'articles similar to 301 exist in the constitutions of all European countries, but are not enforced' is not true. It is enforced in all of them, and the number of cases is far higher than in Turkey, as a matter of fact. But we should also admit that we have had problems from early on since the passage of this article. Maybe an amendment of this article will lessen the practices based on it."
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