TEHRAN Several women-oriented non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and offices for women's affairs condemned Turkish Parliament's opposition to the scarf-wearing Turkish MP Merve Kavakci. The Public Relations Department of the Iranian Women's NGOs in a statement on Wednesday expressed regret that, on the eve of the 3rd millennium, the Turkish government prevents scarf-wearing women from having a seat in the Parliament. The statement said that the Turkish Parliament, by leveling baseless accusations against Kavakci such as charging her with having links with the outsiders, tries to oust her from the Parliament. We, the Iranian women, condemn such an act which violates human rights and call on the Turkish Parliament to respect the people of Istanbul and allow their representative to have a seat in the Parliament, the statement said.

Furthermore, Advisor to the Head of the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization Tooba Kermani in a statement urged the UN Human Rights Committee to react against the recent action by the Turkish government. Kermani said there is no doubt that the type of the reaction by the UN Human Rights Committee would shape the attitude of the international community, particularly the Muslim women, toward this international body.

A member of the Iranian Scientific Board in UNESCO, Kermani stressed that the UN Human Rights Committee should protest against such an inhuman act by the Turkish government. The 31-year-old scarf-wearing Kavakci is a member of the Islamist Virtue Party, who entered the Turkish Parliament wearing Hijab (Islamic covering).