Thursday, April 26, 2007

Cape Times: Prospect of a veiled first lady lays bare division in Turkish society

"Prospect of a veiled first lady lays bare division in Turkish society

April 26, 2007 Edition 2

ANKARA: The prospect of a veiled first lady has rekindled a highly divisive debate in Turkey over the Islamic headscarf, hated by secularists as a symbol of political Islam and the oppression of women.

Hayrunisa Gul, 42, wife of Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul - who has been named the ruling party's presidential candidate and is almost certain to win the post next month - has not been seen bareheaded in public."

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