First graduation ceremony with hijabi police officers
2016 graduation ceremony of the Police Academy was held in Gölbaşı district of Ankara.
According to the reports of SoL news portal, the ceremony was held with the participation of the new Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu and high ranked police officers, under strict security measures.
During the ceremony, where 607 deputy police officers gave their oaths before officially being appointed to their posts, presence of female police officers with head scarves also caught attention.
Until about a few weeks back, female police officers used to be not allowed to cover their heads with a scarf. With a new regulation on the dress code of police officers, enforced last month as part of the ‘democratization’ package of 2013, they can now wear a hijab while on duty.
Immediately after the enforcement of the new code, the first appearance of women police officers with a hijab had been observed during the August 30 Victory Day ceremonies.
Though not an issue as controversial as it had been in the past, debates over it still continue as those against it argue that religious symbolism used in public offices causes biased approach and lead to deepening of polarization within the society.
Sources: https://www.birgun.net/haber-