New Perspective

In lecture today, I learned that the head scarf some Turkish women wear is actually much more controversial than I thought. Women’s incredibly conservative dress code was restructured during Atatürk’s reign and up until the 1990’s most women were content showing more of their bodies and leaving their hair uncovered. The 90’s brought on a movement from young women all over Turkey reverting back to the more traditional and Islamic-based headwear and values.

This caused issues in the modernized society, especially in many Turkish universities. Faculty struggled to draw a line between appropriate and extreme in an educational institution; for instance, conservative Muslim women aren’t allowed to touch any man other than their husband, meaning these newly conservative young women in medical school were unable to operate on male patients. While there were mosques near every campus, many of these students would leave class to pray in hallways and on the campus lawn, causing a disruption for the rest of the students and staff.

All of these things were seen as political statements. The students were rebelling against the modernization of Turkey by re-embracing traditional habits and apparel. Many people, myself once included, view the scarf as a symbol of oppression. It seems like an unnecessarily conservative way to dress and, as I always thought, created a double standard in certain societies. Why should the women have to cover themselves while the men have no dress restrictions? It appears to be their way of keeping women submissive and subservient to their husbands.

After learning about young women choosing to wear headscarves as a political statement, however, I am re-thinking my harsh opinions. These women don’t view their scarves as sexist and oppressive; for them, they symbolize a more traditional time and their religion. (While the root of this conservative dress is not actually Islamic, many Muslims choose to link it with their religion.)

I guess what I’m saying is, I still don’t love the idea of the scarf, but I am learning that there are many different issues surrounding it. Knowing that some women actually choose to wear it and don’t “have to” according to a religious text or a male-dominated system makes it easier for me to accept the idea.