Headscarf, Mustache — Now the Great Tie Debate
The Education Ministry’s announcement about changes to school uniforms has caused debate among secular segments of society, who have found the new “tie-free” uniforms to be “not modern.”… Istanbul’s provincial director of national education, Ata Özer, announced that students could wear t-shirts instead of shirts and they did not have to wear ties until the warm weather ended…
“…The policy is against modernization, enlightenment and westernization as the tie has been the symbol of all these since the establishment of the Turkish Republic,” said Alaaddin Dinçer, ex-president of the Educators’ Union…
…A popular argument by radical Islamic groups [is that the tie is] an invention of the West, and therefore carry[ies] Western values. In Iran, for example, the tie is neither part of the common nor the official dress code. Historically speaking, the tie caused debates between progressives and conservatives in Ottoman Empire as well. “Tie wearing was supported by Ottoman intellectuals but was opposed by conservative segments,” wrote Hürriyet columnist Soner Yalçin last week. “Islamic scholars stood away from it. The common use of ties only started during the establishment of the Turkish Republic,” he said. “Even today there are examples of people who are against the tie, such as [conservative writer] Abdurrahman Dilipak.” Recent examples are not just limited to writers, but also politicians. The AKP’s pioneer Welfare Party was also known to have members who refused to wear a tie… (click for the article)
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