Change in dress code of Turkish Armed Forces allows hijabs for women and beard for men
Announcement released in Resmi Gazete (Official Gazette) of Turkey today (November 11) indicates that about 30,000 state employees working under the Turkish Armed Forces will no longer have to abide by the dress code enforced on members of the armed forces, gendarme, and coastal guard units. While this will allow female civil servants to wear the Islamic head cover, males will also be able to grow a beard.
According to the reports of Aysel Alp from Hürriyet newspaper, this new regulation is made possible through voiding the article of the by-laws where the dress code is introduced as covering all employees of the Turkish Armed Forces, Gendarme Directorate, and the Coastal Guard.
The by-laws, which were enacted in 1982 by the Council of Ministers, include a statement which imposes a rule for the public employees to ‘dress in a way that is modern, simple, not extreme, and, in line with the principle of Atatürk’s reforms.’