Erdogan links riots to scarf ban

Published November 8, 2005

ANKARA, Nov 7: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan linked the riots in France to a ban on Muslim headscarves in the country’s schools, drawing opposition charges that he was encouraging protests against a similar ban in Turkey.

In an interview with the daily Milliyet, Mr Erdogan said ‘the process begun in France in the schools’ was one explanation for the violence that saw thousands of vehicles destroyed, schools vandalized and police attacked in the poor suburbs of French cities.

Mr Erdogan said the law against headscarves in French schools contributed to Muslim migrants’ sense of exclusion and ‘stirred up’ the violence.

“We have always defended the alliance of civilizations (between Islam and the West) and tried to demonstrate the importance of Turkey’s accession to the European Union in this respect,” Mr Erdogan said. “But some did not want to understand — above all the French.”

The comments triggered accusations from the opposition that Mr Erdogan was exploiting tensions in France for his own political agenda.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Centre vs provinces
Updated 10 Jun, 2026

Centre vs provinces

The reason the centre finds itself in this position is rooted in its failure to expand the tax net and boost revenues.
Party in crisis
10 Jun, 2026

Party in crisis

THE young KP chief minister must be starting to realise just how thorny a seat he occupies. There has been a flurry...
Varsity woes
10 Jun, 2026

Varsity woes

FINANCIAL crises affecting public sector universities across Pakistan are now having an impact on academic...
Doctor attacked
09 Jun, 2026

Doctor attacked

AN act of reprehensible violence has shaken the medical community. On Saturday, an employee of the Provincial Civil...
AJK flare-up
Updated 09 Jun, 2026

AJK flare-up

The situation started deteriorating after a trader affiliated with the JAAC was reportedly shot in an altercation with law-enforcers.
Fault lines
09 Jun, 2026

Fault lines

THE April 8 ceasefire that halted hostilities between Israel and Iran has encountered its most serious test yet....