Tatar’s Wife Attacks Government for Second Time Over Headscarf Crisis

Tatar telephoned television channel Kanal T and began by saying she has “always defended the concept that a woman over the age of 18 should not be deprived of her right to education just because she wears a headscarf”.

However, she said, for families who wish that their daughters under the age of 18 years old may go to school wearing headscarves, there are “alternative options” to mainstream public education, such as the Hala Sultan theology college in Mia Milia.

Of the ruling coalition’s legalisation of hijabs in schools, she said, “this practice will definitely not be compatible with Cypriot Turkishness and the Cypriots”, adding that the matter “must not be used as a political tool”.

“This situation will serve no purpose other than to divide the people and to endanger our future. In other words, I do not think this can be done for three or five votes. It would show a great lack of conscience,” she said, before calling on the north’s ruling coalition to display “common sense” and “ensure peace within the country”.

Earlier on Wednesday, Tatar had said she would have marched alongside the 13,000 Turkish Cypriots who demonstrated against the change on Tuesday night had she not attended a museum opening with her husband.

In a social media post, she said this week has seen “an unnecessary change in the regulations and the rightful reaction of the people to take to the streets”.

“Had it not been for the opening of the Cyprus doors and chests museum, the date of which was decided months ago … I would have been at the march, too,” he said.

The north’s ruling coalition legalised the wearing of hijabs in schools for the second time on Tuesday night, having previously legalised it and then retracted the amendment amid public pressure in March.

Ersin Tatar had earlier demanded that legal action be taken against teachers who “disturbed our peace” during earlier protests, after Cyprus Turkish secondary education teachers’ union (Ktoeos) leader Selma Eylem had called on ambassador Ali Murat Basceri to “go home”.

Trade union leaders believe that the Turkish government, via the embassy in Nicosia, influenced the ruling coalition’s decision to legalise the wearing of hijabs in schools.

Source: Cyprus Mail