Headscarf Ban Lifted in Turkish Armed Forces

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Women officers, non-commissioned officers and students serving in the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will be allowed to wear headscarves.

According to state-run Anadolu Agency’s report, the Ministry of National Defense has prepared Bylaw Concerning Regulation in Dress Code of Turkish Armed Forces.

The bylaw will enter into force after it is published on the Official Gazette.

What happened?

The headscarf ban was lifted in practice via an instruction sent by the president of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) to university presidencies in 2007. The headscarf ban was removed for civil servant and workers by an amendment in “Bylaw Concerning Regulation in Dress Code of Public Servants”, yet, security service members, judges, prosecutors and those serving in the TSK were left outside of the amendment.

On October 31, 2013, four MPs entered the parliament with headscarves after 14 years. The headscarf for students above fifth grade was lifted on September 2014. Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) instructed that judges and prosecutors can wear headscarves on June 2015 and judges with headscarves started to hold office.

On August 27, 2016, headscarf ban for women police officers was lifted. (NV/TK)