The "Privilege" Argument:
What do the human rights organizations think?
[December 2000]
Dr. Mohammad Omar Farooq
Associate Professor of Economics and Finance
Upper Iowa University
Dear Shetubondhon Friends,
Salam and greetings.
While some lone crusaders our willing to use a "privilege" approach to rationalize Turkey's Secular Fundamentalism, and claim that anti-Hijab measures, for example, is not a human right issue, even the organized atheist/secularist circles recognize the problem with Turkish type of secularism.
In 1998 "47 professors and university administrators were dismissed for wearing or SUPPORTING the wearing of head garments." [http://atheism.about.com/religion/atheism/library/irf99/bl_irf_turkey99.htm?terms=refah]
NOTE: Dismissal for even "supporting"!
Human Rights Organizations almost universally treat the overall situation in Turkey as human rights issue and their coverage of human "rights" issue in the context of Turkey includes anti-Hijab measures. I have not found a single human rights source that constructs the problem in terms of "rights vs. privilege" distinction to explain the problem away.
"Derecho: Human Rights", the first internet based human rights group, states that "the human rights picture in Turkey is bleak."
[ http://www.derechos.org/human-rights/mena/turkey.html ] The campaign against ban on Hijab is listed under various action programs taken by various pertinent groups. No "privilege" argument there!
"Several HUMAN RIGHTS monitors complained that the Government periodically enforced a 50-year-old ban on the wearing of religious head garments in government offices and other state-run facilities. According to these groups, some women wearing the hejab-the scarf worn by Muslim women-have lost their jobs in the public sector as nurses and teachers." [Freedom of Religion in Turkey,
http://atheism.about.com/religion/atheism/library/irf99/bl_irf_turkey99.htm?terms=50-year-old+ban+] Note: These are taken from atheist sites.
Similar position has been consistently taken in regard to Hijab in other sources too. U.S. Department of State Turkey Country Report on HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES for 1997 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor January 30, 1998 http://www.hri.org/docs/USSD-Rights/97/Turkey97.html
When secularism become secular fundamentalism? An 18 year old girl with hijab is being prosecuted for "recitation of the poem "Song of Freedom" outside the Governor's building during the demonstration." http://www.inminds.com/hijab-ban/huda-kaya-trial2.html
Is peaceful demonstration a right or freedom of expression, or is it a privilege that can be denied or even be prosecuted? One can't but be OUTRAGED at such cool logic that sends chills through one's bones. Read "Letter from Prison: 17 year old Muslimah facing death for Hijab" [http://www.inminds.com/hijab-ban/nurcihan.html] These campaigns are also listed at Derecho: Human Rights forum, which has no specific religious, ethnic or national connection.
17-18 year old girls with Hijab in prison for PEACEFULLY exercising the right to demonstrate?
It is a sad commentary on secularism, unless what we are actually talking about is secular fundamentalism.
Best regards.
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