Turkish lawmakers vote to lift ban on Islamic head scarves at universities

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Turkey's parliament on Saturday approved two constitutional amendments that would lift a decades-old ban on Islamic head scarves in universities, despite the fierce opposition of the secular establishment. Parliament voted 403-107 in favor of the amendment that would insert a paragraph into the Constitution stating that everyone has the right to equal treatment from state institutions. The lawmakers voted 403-108 to approve the second and final amendment that says "no one can be deprived of (his or her) right to higher education," Parliament Speaker Koksal Toptan said.