Bosanac
March 8th, 2006, 07:18 AM
Banned from wearing headscarves at their own country's universities, Turkish women are finding sanctuary in Bosnia.
By Aida Sunje in Sarajevo (Balkan Insight, 2 Mar 06)
Zehra has an unusual reason for coming to study in Bosnia. It is not the academic reputation of Sarajevo's political science faculty that attracted her so much as its relaxed attitude to Islamic dress.
"I came to Bosnia because I had problems wearing a headscarf in my country," she said. "Thank God, I found my feet quickly here.
"The Bosnians were very surprised that someone would come here from Turkey to get an education."
In Zehra's Turkish homeland, students and teachers are forbidden to wear veils or headscarves at schools and universities. Since 1997, under pressure from the secular-minded military, the government has enforced the headscarf ban more rigorously than ever.
Rather than give in, however, Zehra decided to take a road less travelled and came to Bosnia and Hercegovina four years ago. "I was afraid of the unknown, but after a while Bosnia did not feel like that," she told Balkan Insight.
Indeed, she has since married a Bosnian and had a son, now several months old.
In Turkey, campuses are not the only no-go area for headscarved women – they cannot work in the civil service or parliament, or practice law.
In 2005, one woman, Leyla Sahin took the issue to the European Court of Human Rights, when her refusal to uncover her head forced her to study abroad. But in November, the court upheld the Turkish government's right to maintain the ban.
Some civil liberties groups including Human Rights Watchcriticised the ruling.
The European Court has let down thousands of women who will be prevented from studying in Turkey’s universities,” said Holly Cartner, director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia Division.
The support of civil liberty groups was of no avail to Sahin, who still had to complete her medical studies in Vienna.
Unlike Turkey, Bosnian law does not forbid women from wearing headscarves in public places. Additionally, Sarajevo's population is now largely Muslim, and 400 years spent under Ottoman rule mean the local culture is much closer to that of Turkey than is the case in any other city in Europe.
The exact number of Turkish students in Sarajevo is unclear. "I don't know how many Turks study at Sarajevo University but there are certainly more than when I arrived," said Zehra.
The local students' union estimates that about 200 of the 47,000 students in the city are from Turkey.
Most Bosnian students sympathise with their Turkish counterparts who have to study abroad because of the headscarf issue.
"I feel sorry for the fact that they have to leave their home to get an education for such mundane reasons," says Dina, a local student.
Her classmate, Lejla, agreed. "I don't mind them coming here. If it makes it easier for them to study here then they should be able to," she told Balkan Insight.
The university authorities, however, downplay talk of students coming to study there for purely religious reasons.
"The doors of Sarajevo University are open to any person who would like to study here," Zoran Seleskovic, secretary general of the university, told Balkan Insight.
"It's the quality of the education rather than religious issues that prompts students to come here," a psychology professor added. "There are students from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and other corners of the world."
Indeed, not all Turkish students in Sarajevo are especially religious. Hatica does not wear a headscarf and her reasons for studying in Bosnia were more straightforward. "It's a lot easier to join a faculty in Bosnia and Hercegovina than it is in Turkey," she explained.
One reason for this is that competition to enrol in Turkish universities is so intense. Some estimates suggest only one student in ten who sits the university entrance exam in Turkey receives a place.
Hatica came to Bosnia in 1999 and is a senior-level undergraduate at Sarajevo philosophical school's Turkish language department. She also works as a Turkish language teacher at the Fidan education centre, set up in 2003 to foster ties between Bosnia and Turkey.
But Hatica does not intend to stay for ever. "I will go back home when I graduate," she said.
One big disincentive for Turkish students coming to Bosnia is that their diplomas are invalid back in Turkey.
Degrees from Bosnian universities are not generally recognised outside the country's borders.
"Some opportunity will come my way when I return to Turkey. I am not afraid," said Hatica.
But Zehra won't face that problem. She does not see her future in Turkey, where she encountered so many problems over her headscarf.
"If I am patient for a little bit longer, I might get Bosnian citizenship," she said.
Aida Sunje is a Balkan Insight contributor in Sarajevo and a BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina trainee. Balkan Insight is BIRN's internet publication.
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Merhaba Turks. :)
I came across this article and thought it was very interesting. I was not aware that headscarves are forbidden in Turkish schools. I'm very surprised and am wondering why is it like that. I know that the Turkish government and military are pushing secularism, but isnt this a little too much? Especially in a country which such large muslim population?
By Aida Sunje in Sarajevo (Balkan Insight, 2 Mar 06)
Zehra has an unusual reason for coming to study in Bosnia. It is not the academic reputation of Sarajevo's political science faculty that attracted her so much as its relaxed attitude to Islamic dress.
"I came to Bosnia because I had problems wearing a headscarf in my country," she said. "Thank God, I found my feet quickly here.
"The Bosnians were very surprised that someone would come here from Turkey to get an education."
In Zehra's Turkish homeland, students and teachers are forbidden to wear veils or headscarves at schools and universities. Since 1997, under pressure from the secular-minded military, the government has enforced the headscarf ban more rigorously than ever.
Rather than give in, however, Zehra decided to take a road less travelled and came to Bosnia and Hercegovina four years ago. "I was afraid of the unknown, but after a while Bosnia did not feel like that," she told Balkan Insight.
Indeed, she has since married a Bosnian and had a son, now several months old.
In Turkey, campuses are not the only no-go area for headscarved women – they cannot work in the civil service or parliament, or practice law.
In 2005, one woman, Leyla Sahin took the issue to the European Court of Human Rights, when her refusal to uncover her head forced her to study abroad. But in November, the court upheld the Turkish government's right to maintain the ban.
Some civil liberties groups including Human Rights Watchcriticised the ruling.
The European Court has let down thousands of women who will be prevented from studying in Turkey’s universities,” said Holly Cartner, director of Human Rights Watch’s Europe and Central Asia Division.
The support of civil liberty groups was of no avail to Sahin, who still had to complete her medical studies in Vienna.
Unlike Turkey, Bosnian law does not forbid women from wearing headscarves in public places. Additionally, Sarajevo's population is now largely Muslim, and 400 years spent under Ottoman rule mean the local culture is much closer to that of Turkey than is the case in any other city in Europe.
The exact number of Turkish students in Sarajevo is unclear. "I don't know how many Turks study at Sarajevo University but there are certainly more than when I arrived," said Zehra.
The local students' union estimates that about 200 of the 47,000 students in the city are from Turkey.
Most Bosnian students sympathise with their Turkish counterparts who have to study abroad because of the headscarf issue.
"I feel sorry for the fact that they have to leave their home to get an education for such mundane reasons," says Dina, a local student.
Her classmate, Lejla, agreed. "I don't mind them coming here. If it makes it easier for them to study here then they should be able to," she told Balkan Insight.
The university authorities, however, downplay talk of students coming to study there for purely religious reasons.
"The doors of Sarajevo University are open to any person who would like to study here," Zoran Seleskovic, secretary general of the university, told Balkan Insight.
"It's the quality of the education rather than religious issues that prompts students to come here," a psychology professor added. "There are students from Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and other corners of the world."
Indeed, not all Turkish students in Sarajevo are especially religious. Hatica does not wear a headscarf and her reasons for studying in Bosnia were more straightforward. "It's a lot easier to join a faculty in Bosnia and Hercegovina than it is in Turkey," she explained.
One reason for this is that competition to enrol in Turkish universities is so intense. Some estimates suggest only one student in ten who sits the university entrance exam in Turkey receives a place.
Hatica came to Bosnia in 1999 and is a senior-level undergraduate at Sarajevo philosophical school's Turkish language department. She also works as a Turkish language teacher at the Fidan education centre, set up in 2003 to foster ties between Bosnia and Turkey.
But Hatica does not intend to stay for ever. "I will go back home when I graduate," she said.
One big disincentive for Turkish students coming to Bosnia is that their diplomas are invalid back in Turkey.
Degrees from Bosnian universities are not generally recognised outside the country's borders.
"Some opportunity will come my way when I return to Turkey. I am not afraid," said Hatica.
But Zehra won't face that problem. She does not see her future in Turkey, where she encountered so many problems over her headscarf.
"If I am patient for a little bit longer, I might get Bosnian citizenship," she said.
Aida Sunje is a Balkan Insight contributor in Sarajevo and a BIRN Bosnia and Herzegovina trainee. Balkan Insight is BIRN's internet publication.
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Merhaba Turks. :)
I came across this article and thought it was very interesting. I was not aware that headscarves are forbidden in Turkish schools. I'm very surprised and am wondering why is it like that. I know that the Turkish government and military are pushing secularism, but isnt this a little too much? Especially in a country which such large muslim population?