Islamic headscarf issue reaches Basel

10/23/2004 9:56:00 AM GMT

A Muslim female candidate at the election to the Basel City parliament on Sunday; has aroused the debate over wearing of the Islamic headscarf, Hijab, in public life.

Kadriye Koca views the Islamic headscarf as a sign of her faith, she says she will continue wearing it if elected.

Koca, 32-year-old is standing on behalf of the centre-right Christian Democrats, a party which is proud of its traditional Catholic roots.

But being one of the 130 candidates on the party list, Koca sees that she is far from being guaranteed a place in parliament.

Rita Schill of the party’s Basel City secretariat said that the Christian Democrats could alienate voters if the decided to choose Koca.

But she says that Koca , a Turkish-born candidate is an active figure in the community and would definitely become a good member of the parliament.

“Mrs. Koca is a good example of a Turkish woman who is very well integrated in Switzerland. But she is a practicing Muslim, and that’s the reason the headscarf is important to her,” Schill told swissinfo.

“I know some people aren’t very accepting of the headscarf, but we don’t want to lay down rules about what people in the new communities in Basel can wear.

“She is an intelligent young woman who has a good grasp of our party manifesto, and I think she’s well placed to enter parliament and earn the respect of others,” added Schill.

Koca was quoted as saying that she would continue wearing the Hijab, the Islamic headscarf, if elected.

A rightwing member of the cantonal parliament has introduced a motion calling for the banning of all religious symbols within the chamber.

The parliament election comes at a time when attention is directed to the place of the Islamic headscarf in Swiss society.

Migros , the country’s biggest retailer, has ordered its Muslim staff not to wear the scarf. Anyone who rejects or doesn’t comply with that order at the workplace is to be moved to a position where he doesn’t deal with customers.

Rival Coop says it will approve wearing the headscarf, whereas the country’s big banks Credit Suisse and UBS challenged that the scarf is not part of the normal dress code.

Cabinet minister Moritz Leuenberger has also engaged in the debate. In an article published in the “NZZ am Sonntag” newspaper, Leuenberger warned that a banning the Islamic headscarves – such as the one introduced in schools in France –hampers integration in Switzerland.

“By infringing religious freedom, a ban could have the effect of making Muslim women cling to their religion even more, which in turn could prevent their integration in Swiss society,” said Leuenberger.

Kadriye Koca says that religion shouldn’t be an obstacle to feeling at home in Switzerland.

“I want to contribute something to Swiss society, because I feel so accepted here,” she told the “Tages-Anzeiger” newspaper.

“And if I’m not elected this time, I can always try again in four years.”