I'm not completely unsure of my decision that this is good news.

Not good news and it's a dupe too.

I agree. Politics and religion should not mix, even though they so often do.

I don't really have a problem with a simple hijab, but I do have a huge problem with allowing muslim females to attend universities (or vote, etc) with a full face covering.

Just out of curiosity, why? Why does what someone's wearing matter? If someone wanted to vote wearing a Muslim face covering, or a matador's outfit, or a kimono, or a football helmet, etc, why would that matter?

I don't really have an opinion on this subject, I'm just genuinely curious what your reasoning is.

My sister and I look alot alike, and our handwriting is still almost identical. I was a good science student; she was a good English student. If we were allowed to attend class and write exams with our faces covered, what's stopping me from writing her chemistry test while she writes my English test?

So doing a single activity (voting in a matador's outfit) is tantamount (in your view) to being an anonymous figure throughout your college experience? I don't see how they equate at all.

Try spending years being anonymous. Not known, not recognized.

Think about the full implications of this. Imagine you had no face. How many people will take you seriously, will listen to you, will notice you? How soon before you're shunned, ignored, disregarded?

Think about anyone you know, any individual or popular figure. Now imagine how far they would have gotten without a face, without an expression.

Not to get too far on this soapbox but women of the world are still far more repressed than any other race, culture, religion or sexual orientation.

Asking women to cover any part of themselves for any reason is abhorrent to me. If you don't find it abhorrent, I suggest you try living under the exact conditions and then we can talk.

I was assuming that the women in question were making their own dress choices. Obviously, there is a huge difference between allowing women to cover themselves and forcing them to.

I wasn't really supporting any particular viewpoint. As I said, I just wanted to hear tundramonkey's thoughts.

This story is about religious freedom right? How can that be bad? Sure there is a Muslim majority in the government, but they are just voting for freedom.

The fact that women are suppressed is not the issue. Many of these DO want to wear a burka. Its a cultural thing that you might never understand. Wearing them then, shouldn't be considered wrong, defacto.

Like I said, the fact that some woman are forced to wear burka's is a separate issue. If you put that aside, I think you will find that this story is about freedom more than it is about a lack of it.

In any case it shouldn't be allowed. It is like walking around in a ski mask all day, it allows anyone to hide their basic facial features which isn't a good thing.

One should not be allow to wear anything covering one's face while being a student.

A large amount of teaching someone is being able to connect with that person. This requires eye contact. A head covering such as in the thumbnail is fine. A full face covering is anathema to a good education.

Many of them want to wear a bhurka because they have been brainwashed to do so. They feel that they must. There are many women who want to stay in abusive relationships, relationships where they are physically and mentally abused everyday. Should their partners be allowed to treat them such way just because the ladies accept it?

In a country such as Turkey which has a majority Muslim population, it is only a matter of time before the women not wearing head scarves will be singled out. This is exactly why the ban was put in place. This has everything to do with repressing women.

Check the latest information on women in Iraq. And I don't suppose I need to give you links on how women in other predominantly Muslim countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, etc. are treated.

Turkey banned them to avoid this, to keep it's secular society. It's a slippery slope when "religious freedom" over rides the freedom of choice. Muslim women don't "choose" to wear the ... They fear the retribution of not wearing them. (I won't reiterate what 2many said, he is right).