ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey's president approved a pair of constitutional amendments Friday that would allow female students to wear Islamic head scarves at universities.
The legislation, which has polarized Turkey and exposed the deep gap between the Islamic-rooted government and the military-led secular establishment, is expected to face a legal challenge from opponents on grounds the amendments violate Turkey's secular constitution.
Turkey's parliament — dominated by members of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted party — voted 411-103 on Feb. 9 to approve two amendments adding paragraphs to the constitution. They say that everyone has the right to equal treatment from state institutions and "no one can be deprived of (his or her) right to higher education."
The changes had to be approved by President Abdullah Gul, an observant Muslim whose wife and daughter wear head scarves.
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Islam and secularism have vied for dominance in the country since Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded modern Turkey in 1923. He banned religious garb, and secularism became a deeply ingrained ideology, with the military and judiciary as its key protectors.
Currently, female students are forced to remove their head scarves at campus entrances.
Gul defended his decision to approve the amendments, saying they do not violate the republic's secular principles.
However, he pushed the government to take steps to alleviate concerns of the secular population, many of whom fear the government might try to also lift the ban on head scarves in schools and government institutions.
"There is a need to understand the fears of some of our citizens and to bring to life measures that will remove these fears," a presidential statement read.
Onur Oymen, deputy head of the secular Republican People's Party, said the party had finalized preparations to challenge the legislation, but did not say when it planned to apply to the court. The party is concerned that other women would be pressured into covering themselves up when the legislation comes into effect, Oymen said.
Erdogan has said that women would remain free to dress the way they like, promising not to interfere in secular lifestyles. His government has insisted the measure is aimed at expanding democracy and freedoms as part of Turkey's bid for membership in the European Union.
But some secularists suspect the government's true agenda is to raise Islam's profile in Turkey. Erdogan tried to criminalize adultery before being forced by the EU to step back.
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