September 28, 2007: Since the Republic of Turkey was established in 1923 under the leadership of its first president Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the principles of "Kemalism" have included the separation of church and state. The state does not interfere in religious affairs, and religion – the Islamic faith – does not interfere in the affairs of the state. In today's Turkey this means that the wives of the Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan and newly elected Turkish president Abdullah Gül are not allowed to attend official state receptions. The reason? As Muslims they both wear the traditional Muslim head covering for women, and wearing the head covering would be viewed as religious influence at an official state affair.

Young women in Turkey are also not permitted to wear the head covering at Turkish universities, the result of a 20 year old court decision interpreting the Turkish constitution. Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan wants to change that. In an interview with the "Financial Times" newspaper, Erdogan described the ban on head coverings as a political issue that needs to be resolved so Turkey can be like countries in western Europe where Muslim students are permitted to wear a head covering at universities.

In its revision of the Turkish constitution, Erdogan's "Justice and Development Party" (AKP) wants to include a sentence that will prohibit discrimination against participation in higher education on the basis of clothing. The change would open up university attendance to many Turkish women – especially in smaller cities – who have been prevented from attending lectures because of the ban on head coverings.

Erdogan's argument that Turkey should have a similar policy as in western Europe ignores the fact that Turkey is quite different from western European countries. Those Muslim students wearing a head covering at universities in western Europe are a minority of the total student population, and Muslim students who wear a head covering have little or no influence on other Muslim women who decline to wear the head covering.

By contrast, Turkey is a predominantly Islamic country. Some Turkish university professors have already voiced opposition to Erdogan's plan. In their view, in smaller communities the lifting of the ban would quickly lead to a situation where a majority of Muslim students would wear the head covering, forcing those women reluctant to do so into donning the veil to avoid being ostracized socially. Their concerns appear justified in a country where even unfounded rumours can lead to beatings or even the murder of young women considered to be immoral.

If the ban on head coverings at Turkish universities is lifted, it will lead to greater Islamic influence in Turkish society. The head covering debate in Turkey only confirms the conviction held by many western Europeans that Turkey has no place in the European Union.