Several thousand Turkish Cypriots marched on Friday to protest a new regulation allowing pupils to wear Islamic headscarves in secondary schools, a move they say threatens the community’s secular traditions.
The regulation, introduced in March in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC), which is recognized only by Turkey, amended the school disciplinary code to explicitly permit headscarves in high schools. Middle schools may adopt the rule at their own discretion.
“This is a religious symbol. A child under the age of 18 cannot make this decision with their own free will, in my opinion,” said Dila Ensari, 15, who attended the rally with her mother, a public school teacher.
The decision followed an incident in which an eighth-grade girl in Nicosia was reportedly barred from school for wearing a hijab. In a video that quickly spread on social media, the student, dressed in a blue headscarf, and her father are seen outside the school gates arguing with staff as other students enter the building.
The backlash was swift. Educators, trade unions and opposition leaders condemned the move as an erosion of long-held secular traditions and a political intrusion into the education system.
“They say they want to legitimize hijabs at school, but we know this won’t stop here,” said Sara, a 30-year-old teacher who declined to give her full name out of fear of repercussions.
“We support secular education. If one of my students wants to wear a hijab after 18, I will be here protesting for her right to do so.”
Burak Maviş, head of the Cyprus Turkish Teachers’ Trade Union, expressed a similar concern.
“Granting exceptions to religious symbols in public schools goes against the principle of secularism and also affects the development of children,” he told Agence France-Presse ahead of the rally.
Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar defended the regulation, saying it aims to protect students from discrimination.
“In this country, there are those who have religious beliefs and those who do not. There are those who go to mosques and those who do not. These are personal choices,” he said on a morning talk show last month.
Although the community is overwhelmingly Muslim, most Turkish Cypriots identify as secular. Headscarves are rarely worn, many drink alcohol and those who observe religious practices tend to do so in private.
“Most Turkish Cypriots do not practice religion publicly, and if they do, they want to keep it in the private sphere. There has never been a push to bring religious symbols into public life,” said Umut Bozkurt, a political scientist at Eastern Mediterranean University.
Many residents also draw a distinction between themselves and migrants from mainland Turkey, who by some estimates now outnumber the Turkish Cypriot population and are often seen as more religious and conservative.
Concerns over Turkey’s influence
For many, the headscarf regulation is seen as the latest sign of Ankara’s growing influence in the north.
“They see it as a threat to their relative autonomy from Turkey,” Bozkurt said.
Turkey maintains a large military presence in northern Cyprus following its 1974 invasion and exercises considerable influence over the breakaway administration.
“We love Turkey, but our culture is different,” said Ahmet Serdaroğlu, head of the Kamu-Is trade union.
“I am Muslim — praise be to God — but I do not have to cover my baby’s head to prove it.”
Under the amended policy, headscarves must be of one color and consistent with school uniforms. Officials say the regulation is meant to ensure fairness, not promote religion.
In secondary schools in the internationally recognized southern part of Cyprus, pupils may wear headscarves and other religious attire, although few Turkish Cypriots attend these schools.
The island has been divided along ethnic lines since Turkey occupied the northern third in 1974 following a coup by Greek Cypriots seeking union with Greece.
The debate mirrors earlier struggles in Turkey, where a 2013 decision to lift a longstanding ban on headscarves in public high schools was seen by secularists as a pivotal moment.
Now, many Turkish Cypriots fear they are on a similar path.