Turkey's Ban on Muslim Headscarfs Before Human Rights Court

ADN Krononos International today that the European Court of Human Rights Great Chamber has begun hearing arguments today in an appeal challenging Turkey's law that prohibits Muslim women from wearing headscarfs in Turkish universities. The student challenging the law was dismissed from Istanbul University's Faculty of Medicine for refusing to remove her headscarf. The University claims that the ban is designed to prevent religious fundamentalists from pressuring other students. The lower court had upheld the law as consistent with Turkey's secular constitution. The student's lawyers will argue that the law violates Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights that protects religious freedom. Turkey, however, will point to the provisions in Article 9 that permit states to limit freedom of religion and expression to protect the "public order" and the "rights and freedoms of others".