Baykal: You may wear a headscarf, but can't impose it on the state

Speaking at his party's group meeting, main opposition leader Deniz Baykal (CHP) yesterday said that constitutional amendments recently passed by Parliament are about more than letting girls wear headscarves at universities. "We are trying to understand and show respect for religion," he said. "There is a tradition in Islam of covering one's head, but headscarves are not that tradition. You may wear a headscarf, but you can't impose it on the state. This is where the problem lies." Baykal added that it is not proper to enshrine an Islamic tradition in the Turkish Constitution and that secularism is not the enemy of religion. "Were there headscarves in the 1,400 years of Islamic history so far?" he asked. "Were there headscarves during the time of our Prophet Muhammad?"