The governing party in Turkey, AKP (Party of Justice and Development), have recently suggested in the parliament some changes in the constitution, that will allow the entry of the students wearing turban in the universities; and the changes in the constitution have been accepted by the overwhelming majority of the parliament, by 411 deputies. When the offer of constitutional changes first entered on the agenda of the parliament, the Association of University Councils, an organization of patriotic and progressive academicians at the universities, started a petition for a declaration against the entry of turban in the universities. The petition that has started at September 4th has already collected more than 4200 signatures from academicians (professors, associate professors, assistant professors, research assistants) in almost all universities in Turkey. The campaign of the AUC has been enthusiastically supported by academicians, some university rectors and faculty deans among them. AUC declared that the campaign will continue until September 15th.

The declaration of the Association of University Councils signed by academicians:

No Pasaran to Reactionism!

The alliance of the reactionaries and liberals for "freedom to turban" is a dishonor for the universities in Turkey!
As the patriotic academicians in favor of enlightenment and public interests, we have some words to say to those who insist in not seeing what the turban covers and to continue to consider turban as an issue of freedom: in today’s Turkey, turban is not an issue of “freedom of the individual". Turban covers the reactionary-free market policies of AKP (Party of Justice and Development), turban covers USA imperialism, and it covers the process of transforming Turkey to a moderate Islamic republic by USA through the intermediary of AKP.
We will not let turban in the universities; we know that turban is the slavery of the intellect and the woman; scientific work will not be possible where reactionism will dominate.
We declare that we will not leave our universities and our country to the hands of reactionaries.