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The first of these two articles presents the ultra-orthodox Islamic position on the covering of women. This article was published on February 19th, 2002 in the hard-line Islamic daily Yeni Asya. The second article, an interview with a headscarf-wearing girl in the mainstream daily Hürriyet on March 11th, shows that the matter is more complex than it at first seems.
The articles were, of course, translated by the Bridge.

Islam rescued woman from the gutter of the age of ignorance and secured for her the exalted position that is motherhood. Under the shining light of Islam woman, who had been regarded as a means for gratifying physical desire, acquired the status of sovereign of the institution of the family, which underpinned the foundations of society. She was no longer chattel, she assumed the dignity of being a mother, the symbol of honour and chastity.

But the alliance of infidels has always sought out ways of robbing woman, an important foundation stone of Islamic society, of her essential nature, and has in every age endeavoured to set forth cunning plans to this end. The exalted prophet (peace be upon him), displaying exceptional foresight, warned the community of believers on the question of women. The supreme teacher (peace be upon him) demanded that Muslims exercise vigilance, declaring that the toughest test for the community of believers would be that posed by agents of discord and trouble who use woman as pawns.

Unfortunately, the forces of godlessness have today largely succeeded in bringing degeneration to womankind, in reality created as honourable candidates for motherhood. The only way the Islamic community can guard its own mothers, sisters, wives and daughters from the woman-centred traps of our age is by succeeding in the test of sincerity and genuineness. Otherwise the danger is immense.

If we look around us, we witness with sadness that the forces of godlessness are bringing pious families within their sphere of influence. For we see on pious ladies a watering down of the veil, that important barrier against the discord sowing of the day. The constant increase in the number of ladies who, even if their heads are covered, wear trousers beneath short coats amounts to a deadening of sensitivities on the subject of veiling resulting from a shift towards worldly values. If it were a halfway house between being uncovered and the veil, the short coat-trousers fashion would be welcome: if it causes women wearing long coats to shorten their coats, then it is without doubt a fall. It represents a descent from the world of spirituality. I think that some of us are trying to show that we are 'modern' in order to appeal to certain groups that are opposed to the veil. What a pitiful state of affairs …

Or are we trying to win the favour of certain influential worldly groups with our dress, rather than the favour of God? If this is the case, let us not forget that this is a debasement. Those of our sisters who are in possession of honour and chastity should not feel the need to be like those people, devoid of all shame, who turn themselves into objects for display. Let physical desire and Satan not deceive us. It is necessary to draw the lesson from the sacred recorded words of the exalted prophet (peace be upon him) to the effect that: 'I was shown the Hell-fire, and that the majority of its dwellers were women.' Let us not fall into the trap of putting our eternal life at risk for the sake of simple worldly desires. We know that worldly life is a temporary chamber set up as a test. Let us not be taken in by vile spectacles in the chamber that try to make us fail the test. There is no finer adornment for a lady than modesty, chastity and honour. Those of our sisters who do not wish to be used as pawns by the alluring discord sowing of our age must protect themselves from treacherous glances with a veil suited to winning the favour of God. The Islamic community especially has a great need for womankind to protect itself against the base subversion of the twentieth century.

Nurullah Akat

THE young girl in front of me is 22. Her head and neck are covered. She is wearing a long-sleeved blouse and she has a skirt stretching down to her heels. Her shoes have medium-sized, thick heels. She has a two-year degree from the open university. She has been unable to find a decent job. She is preparing to take the exams again. She wants to get a place in a good faculty.

But she is worried because of her headscarf.

- I don't know what's going to happen. There's a headscarf problem at universities.

- These are the rules. Certain formulas can be found. You can take off your headscarf in the university and put on a beret or a wig. If the aim isn't political…

- For me, being covered has never been political. I am against that. I too believe that a formula has to be found.

Then she was silent. She thought for a while.

- Do you know, Tufan, I really wanted to uncover myself but I couldn't do it. The circles I move in make me hesitate. I went to an Imam Hatip school and I've been covered for years. If I uncover myself now, these people may reject me.

- Don't uncover yourself if this will put you on the spot. But don't let your headscarf prevent you from studying, either. There are things which you owe to your family and society. Don't abandon these …

- No, no … I most certainly won't abandon them.

* * *

The conversation moved from universities to Imam Hatip schools. To the protests there.

- At the time I was a student there weren't protests of this kind. If only they hadn't accepted girl students at the Imam Hatip schools.

- This was a blunder on the part of the politicians. Anyway, Imam Hatip schools were totally wrong. These things were all done with the aim of getting votes.

- They accepted those girls and no one objected to them being covered. Now they tell them to uncover themselves. What about peer pressure? Is it easy for a person who has lived covered up for years to uncover themselves?

She lines up her own difficulties with the situation of Imam Hatip school students.

- My father is open-minded. He didn't want me to cover myself up. My mother made me. She also sent me to the Imam Hatip school.

It is obvious that it makes her unhappy to be part of a different world from her peers, to be subject to restrictions that prevent her from living out her youth freely.

- Do you know, you get the same fooling around and shirking at our Imam Hatip schools as you do at other high schools.

- Sure … You are young, too.

- For example, we also played truant a lot. We also smoked on the sly. We also took a lot of punishment. We also had boyfriends.

- All of those are natural.

- I didn't hear about it at our school, but there have even been fellow students at other Imam Hatip schools who have had abortions. Just like at a lot of high schools.

- These are unusual events. They do not merit approval.

They most certainly don't. I am not talking about them because I approve. But all of this goes on in high schools. It also goes on in Imam Hatip schools. That's what I want to stress.

* * *

She then moves on to general matters. She looks for answers to questions she has been unable to get her head around.

- I can't comprehend how a person can live without belief. Atheists, for instance.

- They also have their beliefs. Not God, but another ideal. For example, to serve people, to apply themselves to science, nature or art…Don't forget that there are billions of people in the world who have no God. For instance, the Japanese, Chinese, Hindus…

- But I can't comprehend it because I was brought up with belief. For example, when I enter a mosque I feel an inner peace, I am happy. Don't you feel the same thing?

- Of course I do…This is what every Muslim feels, not only you.

- But when I enter a church I don't feel the same things. Even though a church is also sacred in our religion.

- It is normal for us to feel warmth towards a mosque. When Christians enter a church they experience the same feelings that we do when we enter a mosque.

My interview with the headscarf-wearing young girl was longer. I have tried to summarise the sections that throw some light on the headscarf protests that are in the news. (In order not to expose the identity of the young girl, I have specifically not named places and certain names.)

Tufan Türenç