While I normally enjoy reading Ms. Slater’s pieces, last week’s “Banning headscarves is religious discrimination” (ODE, Nov. 14) bothered me. Ms. Slater seems to be writing from a solely U.S. perspective that has historically been uninfluenced by religious wars or strife. In America, religious diversity is encouraged and relatively unhindered. This is not so in other areas of the world.
We cannot judge Turkey (and France and subsequently the entire European Union) from our rather naive perspective. Let’s not forget that religious discrimination and fueled violence is rife throughout the world, against every creed. In general, the steps these countries have taken are to protect everyone. In France, the school boards decreed that symbols from EVERY religion was prohibited on school grounds – no headscarves, crosses or crucifixes, or yarmulkes or Magen Davids. The rule was universally fair – and it was a decision that was fueled by the increasing religiously fueled violence that eventually led to several deaths.
Turkey has every right to follow this path if it deems it necessary; the country’s own history is full of animosity between Christianity and Islam. If they have reasons to ban head scarves, we might not be fully aware of them, as we do not live in Istanbul, and most Americans have never encountered real religious discrimination. And, while I sympathize with Ms. Sahin’s religious devotion, let’s remember that she does want to be a health worker. She will, eventually, be forced to remove her head scarf for work purposes – for a medical scrub, or examination, etc. If this were a test in itself, she failed, which is something the Turkish Courts noted in their verdicts on Ms. Sahin’s and other similar cases.
Unfortunately, Ms. Slater’s piece screamed ignorance to me, and a woeful neglect of international history. We cannot forget the fact that the Crusades and both the French and Spanish Inquisitions have caused political and social damage that is still unresolved today. It is important to remember that our experience in the U.S. with religion has an uncommon history, and likely, future.
Sara Morris lives in Eugene.