Another legal victory against obligatory religion class

A family engaging in a legal struggle classes has won the case demanding exemption of their son from the obligatory religion class in Turkey
File photo.
Thursday, 20 July 2017 21:17

A family whose son is a 6th-grade student in the conservatory of Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Fine Arts wanted their son to be exempt from the obligatory religion class in school. The family started a legal case and won victory against the obligatory religion classes, which may set another precedent for future legal struggles. İstanbul administrative court has decided for the student to be exempt from taking the class.

The court decision is based on several justifications, one of which is about the European Convention on Human Rights. Turkey signed the convention in 1950 and it remains to be binding, the decision said.

Furthermore, a 1998 constitutional court decision stated that in a secular state, these should be no official religion of the state and any religion should not rule out others. This decision, as given by the İstanbul administrative court, states that “in a secular state, giving the education of any particular religion should not be obligatory”. Moreover, if the curriculum of the religion class is grounded on one particular religion, it becomes “religious education” rather than being “education of religions and ethics” class, the decision states.

Another justification given in the decision is that the state should respect to parent’s religious and philosophical beliefs.