ul says many here already see this as an attack on secularism itself – the founding principle of the Turkish republic.
The attacker was apparently carrying papers that identified him as a lawyer – although it is not known if these were genuine – and made it past security guards undetected.
He reportedly burst into a committee meeting of the Council of State, the top administrative court, at 1000 local time (0700 GMT) shouting “Allahu akbar” (God is great) as he fired his weapon.
Tansel Colasan, deputy head of the Council of State, said the attacker yelled “I am the soldier of God”, and said he was carrying out the attack to protest against the court’s decision on headscarves….
Judge Mustafa Birden made headlines earlier this year when he ruled that schoolteachers, who are banned from wearing the Islamic headscarf at work, could not cover their heads even on their way to school.
An Islamist newspaper printed photographs of him and fellow judges from the court’s second chamber, which deals with education issues….
The court’s decision on headscarves has been condemned as illegal by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose ruling party has Islamist roots.
Anyone shouts “Allahu akbar”, it’s odds on they’re aiming to kill people.
Leave a Reply