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The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that a compulsory religion course in Turkey violates the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) article (2:1) regarding the right to education, and urged Turkey to quickly switch to a new system that students would not have to attend the course and disclose their religious beliefs – reported Today’s Zaman.
On Tuesday, a verdict was announced by the ECtHR, in regards to an appeal by 14 Turkish citizens belonging to the Alevi faith filed in 2011. The appeal pertained to the mandatory “Culture or Religion and Knowledge of Morality” course taught in Turkish schools. The ECtHR stated that recent changes made in course textbooks were not sufficient to keep the course from violating the ECHR. The court also reminded the Turkish state of its “obligation to be neutral and impartial” regarding religious issues, which Turkey has attempted to reform multiple issues regarding recognized and unrecognized religious minorities since 2001․
The court stated that changes should be made in order for students to not be forced to enroll in the course, instead, for the course to be offered as an elective. Arrangements should also be made to not disclose the student’s religious faith when deciding not to enroll. Turkey was found by the court to violate Article 2 of the ECHR in the case of Mansur Yalçın and Others v. Turkey. The verdict said, “the Court observed in particular that in the field of religious instruction, the Turkish education system was still inadequately equipped to ensure respect for parents' convictions.” It further noted that as precedent to an earlier, related case, Turkey must resolve the issue without delay.
The court recognized that Turkey had introduced changes to the structure of religion courses, along with information about the Alevi faith, though “aspects of the curriculum had not really been overhauled since it predominantly focused on knowledge of Islam as practiced and interpreted by the majority of the Turkish population.”
The plaintiffs’ belief that the approach adopted in religion class would likely cause a “conflict of allegiance” for the student between their family’s values and those learned in school.
The court also noted that Christian and Jewish students already have the possibility to be exempted from religion classes, and added that almost all EU states offer an exemption method out of religious studies classes.
To note, the “History of the Armenian Church” course is taught in Armenian public schools. The course has been referenced has an issue by various human rights organizations and international reports.
Armenian law mandates that public education be secular. Courses in the history of the Armenian Apostolic Church, however, are part of the public school curriculum and are taught by public school teachers. The church has the right to participate in the development of the syllabus and textbooks for this course and to define the qualifications of its teachers. The church may also nominate candidates to teach the course. The class is mandatory; students are not permitted to opt out of the course, and no alternatives are available to students of other religious groups. In addition, the law grants the Armenian Apostolic Church the right to organize voluntary extracurricular religious classes in state educational institutions. Other religious groups may provide religious instruction to members in their own facilities.
The content of education in Armenia is decided by the Government of the Republic of Armenia (RA), which has worked and will deepen its work with the Armenian Apostolic Church, and religious education will be taught also in elementary schools, said RA Minister of Education and Science Armen Ashotyan in parliament on May 22, 2014, commenting on a concern reflected in international reports on the teaching of religion in public schools in Armenia.
Ashotyan, in response to the international reports about discriminatory attitudes regarding the course, said, "Unfortunately, this idea appeared in the report by those who consider themselves civil society activists, who have Armenian roots but uphold Western values, from organizations funded by grants".