Iranian Women Continue to Defy Dress Code Laws as Government Promises Crackdown | DW News

Aug 9, 2023 | Iran has stepped up the enforcement of headscarf rules for women. Many have been defying the dress code since the death of a woman in 'morality police' custody sparked mass protests. DW spoke to several women after the morality police returned to the streets.

Der Bericht auf Deutsch.

Turkish Women MPs Wear Islamic Veils in Parliament for First Time

Nurcan Dalbudak in Turkish Parliament

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Secular country breaks important taboo following decades-long ban on the headscarf from public buildings

Turkey's parliament allowed female MPs to wear the Islamic veil for the first time yesterday, breaking an important taboo in the secular country.

For decades, the headscarf was banned from public buildings, but the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has steadily reduced this prohibition. Since Sept 30, female civil servants have been allowed to wear the veil - and this has now extended to parliament.

Four veiled MPs from AKP were duly allowed to go about their duties in parliament. "There is nothing in parliamentary bylaws that stands as an obstacle to this," said Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the prime minister. "Everyone should respect our sisters' decision." » | David Blair | Thursday, October 31, 2013

Verwandt »

Legal Limbo: Lawyers Seek Clarity on Headscarves in Court

SPIEGEL ONLINE: The German court system has a patchwork of rules and regulations about whether female lawyers should be permitted to wear the hijab, or Muslim headscarf, in court. Experts say the lack of legal clarity is unsustainable, and that a big debate is brewing.

Three times judges have taken issue with the headscarf worn by one female lawyer in Berlin. They declared that by wearing it, the lawyer, as an "officer of the court," was in violation of the ideological and religious neutrality of the justice system. All three times the Muslim lawyer, who has requested to remain anonymous, agreed to compromise.

For two of the trials in question, the lawyer removed her headscarf, under which she wore, in the words of Berlin court spokesman Ulrich Wimmer "a type of cap." In the third case, Wimmer says, the lawyer "wore her headscarf differently, fastening it the back so that it looked more like a peasant's headscarf." The judges were satisfied, finding that with these changes the lawyer's head covering "no longer had a religious appearance."

All three trials in question -- concerning a rear-end collision; a car that collided with a taxi while pulling out of a parking spot; and a crash in an intersection -- were thus able to proceed. In the future, however, the lawyer says she is no longer willing to make such "demeaning compromises." If a judge again takes issue with her headscarf, she plans to file a complaint with Berlin's constitutional court. The bar association has promised her both financial and personnel support. » | Joachim Wagner | Translated from the German by Ella Ornstein | Tuesday, September 17, 2013