Turkey must lift a ban on headscarves at university as part of democratic reforms aimed at European Union accession, Foreign Minister Ali Babacan said today.
Turkey's parliament is expected to approve a constitutional amendment next week sponsored by the ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party aimed at easing the ban for university students.
The headscarf debate is central to Turkey's complex identity, as the young democracy struggles to meet the demands of both a pious Muslim population and also a secular, pro-Western elite that sees Islam as backwards.
The EU has pressed Turkey to boost freedom of expression and minority rights but has no EU position on the headscarf issue.
"Turkey is a country which has to make political reforms to achieve the strategic goal of full membership in the European Union, which it has chosen," Babacan told a news conference.
France as well as some colleges in the Netherlands ban headscarves, while Britain and many other EU members allow the headscarf in the name of civil liberty.
Turkey's government wants to expand freedoms to turn Turkey into a "first-class democracy where freedoms in all fields are enjoyed fully", Babacan said.
Babacan also said the furore on the headscarf issue and rising tensions taint Turkey's image.
"Unfortunately an important part of the debate going on in these days is weakening Turkey's image abroad," he said.
Secularists fear lifting the ban would lead over time to heavy pressure on uncovered women to wear the headscarf.