To hijab or not to hijab

Turkey is being rocked by a debate over whether to lift the ban on the use of the hijab by the women of the country. The hijab is the head covering used by the women to comply with the culture's understanding of appropriate female modesty in many Muslim countries. Compared to other forms of dress by Muslim women, the hijab is minimal. In more strict cultures, the women wear loose flowing clothes to hide the outline of the body or go so far as to wear a complete body covering, perhaps even wearing gloves to conceal the hands.

This is an issue because Turkish society has discouraged the use of the hijab from the very beginning of the country. When its constitution was written, Turkey chose to establish itself as a country based on secular law and not religious law. That is remarkable since Turkey is nearly 100% Muslim. Now, many people in Turkey want the ban on wearing the hijab lifted so that women, at all levels of society and in all circumstances, can wear it as they choose.

The issue of the hijab raises many questions that I am not qualified to address and will not attempt to do so. It does seem to me, though, that the debate highlights the issue of religious groups expecting the country's practices or laws to accommodate their own religious beliefs.

While it is easy to think this is an issue only with other people and other religions, it is just as much an issue in Western countries and in Christianity. For example, the abortion debate in America is largely framed by the conflict between religious law - it is against God's moral law to allow an abortion - and secular law - the laws of this country permit a woman to choose whether to continue a pregnancy.

But, it is not just in abortion where this comes into play. I think of those pharmacists who refuse to fill certain prescriptions because it violates their religious beliefs or those folks who want to dictate what is taught in science classes because of their religious views. There are some evangelical groups that try to influence American foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, based on their reading of scripture. In a situation that has happened recently, a church-related school in Kansas refused to allow a certified and qualified female basketball referee call the game for its male team because they do not believe that God allows a woman to have authority over a man. I wonder how this group feels about female judges or city council members making decisions.

The hallmark of a modern society is how well it accommodates differing perspectives, but, when religion plays a part, it becomes much harder for differing perspectives to co-exist. How can someone compromise on an issue or allow opposing views when she or he believes it is the will of God for it to happen in just one particular way?

While I slid into this topic by referencing a debate in Turkey, it seems that we, too, citizens of America, struggle with the question, if not with the particular application. I worry whether even we will allow enough space for reasoned conversations and civil discourse to take place on the issues.