Turkish PM attacks top court

11/06/2008| IslamWeb

Turkey's prime minister has accused the country's top court of usurping parliamentary powers by rejecting legislation that would have lifted a ban on Muslim headscarves in universities.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who leads the ruling AK party, said that no power, including the constitutional court, can override parliament's will.

"It's everybody's duty, especially the duty of the constitutional court and judiciary ... to be very careful," Erdogan said in parliament on Tuesday.

"These people [the opposition] ... are trying to upset the stability of the country. They are trying to demoralize the country."

Headscarf ruling

It was Erdogan's first reaction to Thursday's ruling by the constitutional court which struck down an AK-proposed amendment adopted in parliament by an overwhelming authority, to let women sport the headscarf on campus.

"The constitutional court must certainly explain why it examined the contents of the reform in the [headscarf] case," he said in his address.

"Every attempt breaching the rule of law will damage our nation's conscience.

"We should specifically avoid damaging the image of the constitutional court ... We have to be sensitive on that otherwise the whole nation, Turkey, will be harmed as a result.

"The separation of powers, the principles of the constitution and the rule of law will have to be closely observed. No aspect of our republic, no article of our constitution is less important than the other."

"We must be responsible and observe common sense ... Both the legislation and the judiciary are there for the sake of the nation. We cannot allow neither of us to be harmed or weakened."

Merve Kavakci, a Turkish MP who was kicked out of parliament after entering with a headscarf, said: "This is a clash between the founding ruling elite of Turkey and the Anatolian people who argue that the sovereignty does not belong to the elite but to the people of Turkey… and it goes way beyond the concept of the headscarf."

In a separate case before the same court, Turkey's chief prosecutor is also seeking to disband Erdogan's party on the grounds that it is "the focal point of anti-secular activities".

PHOTO CAPTION 

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, seen here in February 2008.

Al-jazeera