21 September 2011, Wednesday / TODAY'S ZAMAN, Ä°STANBUL
The Republican People's Party (CHP) is holding an internal discussion on whether to take a Cabinet amendment removing the age limit on children who wish to attend Quran courses offered for free at mosques in the summer months to the Constitutional Court for cancellation.
The CHP recently took 11 decrees which came into effect after the Cabinet passed amendments of several laws to the Constitutional Court for invalidation. The CHP's legal experts are now discussing whether to take the recent decree on Quran courses to the Constitutional Court. Top CHP officials, however, think this action should not be taken just yet.
The age limit for children to attend Quran courses was abolished by government decree published in the Official Gazette on Sept. 17. The decree stipulated an amendment to the Law on the Establishment and Duties of the Religious Affairs Directorate. The new law was prepared in accordance with Article 24 of the Constitution and requires permission from the parents of the children who wish to attend the courses at mosques.
The age limit was imposed following Turkey's notorious Feb. 28, 1997, postmodern coup. As a result of the policies instituted by the military following the Feb. 28 coup, children younger than 12 have not been allowed to attend these courses, a move that drew much criticism from the public. According to most parents, 12 is too old for children to learn to read the Quran.
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