Turkish Army Defies Presidential Reception over Headscarf

Turkish political leaders follow honor guards while thousands of army members wait at courtyard of Ataturk's mausoleum during 87th Anniversary of Turkish Republic in Ankara. EPA/BGNES

Senior Turkish military commanders boycotted the celebration of Turkey's national holiday at the presidential palace because of the Islamic headscarf worn by the wife of President Abdullah Gul.

The army chiefs did not attended Gul's reception for October 29, the day of the creation of the secular Turkish republic in 1923, BGNES reported citing international media.

The wives of both Gul and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wear the hijab, a headscarf covering the head and the neck. Erdogan himself slammed the military for boycotting the event.

The Turkish army is traditionally considered the guardian of secularism in Turkey, and the senior military leadership has been at odds with Erdogan and Gul's moderately Islamist Justice and Development Party.

The main opposition Republican People's Party, which is secularist, also boycotted Gul's reception.

The generals decided not to attend the banquet after Gul invited wives, therefore providing for the presence of women wearing the headscarf.

Gul and Erdogan's party has pushed for lifting bans for wearing headscarves in public.