I salute the decision of the Turkish constitutional Court over the Turban

I salute the decision of the Turkish constitutional Court to ban the turban from Universities. The turban is not anymore a matter of freedom of religion, as it became a political symbol and an Islamists’ tool. This is exactly what it is happening today in the Arab and Muslim world.

In Tunisia as in other countries, the Islamists are using the veil to occupy visually the scene, in order to show their incumbent presence in the country. Hence, the veil doesn’t represent anymore a religious choice – even though the Holy Quran has never asked to women to wear the hijab – but a merely Islamist political symbol against democracy and secularism.

In Morocco, we live a situation similar to the Turkish one. The Islamist party PJD, even though it lost in the last legislative elections in 2007, is pursuing a cultural domination of the country. The PJD is actually following the steps of the AKP. Since their early beginning, the PJD has seen in the Turkish party a model to follow and decided to be called after the AKP (PJD means Party of Justice and Development as in Turkish).

The PJD was born by the union of three movements: Shahiba Al-Islamiya, Mustaqbal Al-Islam and Al-Islah. It should be stressed that in 1975, Shabiba Al-Islamiya was involved in the killing of Omar Ben Jelloun, a leading Moroccan Socialist figure. However, the PJD cannot be compared to reactionist Islamist movements or leaders as the Sudanese Hassan Al-Turabi. Its leadership, actually as the AKP, doesn’t want to face any military clash, but prefers to slowly Islamize the society through symbols as the hijab.

In this way, the PJD is convinced that the Shari’a will be imposed by itself. And if now the wearing of the veil is a political-religious choice of a woman, in the future – after the cultural domination will bring the Shari’a – is going to be mandatory. The PJD doesn’t shy why to affirm that is also the AKP policy. It is actually known, that the PJD and the AKP have contacts and have been exchanging visits both in Morocco and in Turkey .

It is for all these reasons that I salute the decision of the Turkish constitutional Court. The Sudanese Prof. Abdullahi Ahmed An’Naim wrote in the beginning of his recent book, Islam and the Secular State: “In order to be a Muslim by conviction and free choice, which is the only way one can be Muslim, I need a Secular State”.

amahjarbarducci@yahoo.com