The Associated Press reports that underlying today’s general elections for Parliament in Turkey is a simmering dispute over Muslim women wearing head scarves. The Islamic head scarf has come to symbolize the broader struggle involved in the election. (See prior posting.) The elections were called after the ruling Justice and Development Party was forced to withdraw its nominee for the presidency that Parliament was to approve-- Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul. Gul's wife wears a headscarf, and opponents rallied the public by claiming that it would be a disgrace to have a prime minister’s wife wear that attire in a country that was founded as a secular republic.
CanWest News Service describes the underlying controversy in this way: "the most emotive issue by far is whether this country of 70 million, which forms a bridge between the Middle East and Europe, should remain secular and western-oriented, as it has been since Kemal Ataturk founded the republic on the ruins of the Ottoman Empire more than 80 years ago, or draw closer to its Islamist roots. And if Turkey decides to turn towards Islam, will the staunchly secular Turkish military launch another coup?"
UPDATE: Preliminary results available on Sunday night (US time) indicate that the Justice and Development Party (AKP), with some 47% of the popular vote, has won around 340 of the 550 seats in Turkey's Parliament. (Financial Times). The party denies that it poses any threat to secularism in the country.
