Istanbul: Turkey’s Islamic-rooted government has banned pupils from wearing tattoos or body piercings in schools, a measure denounced by opponents as oppressive and unenforceable, reports said. While tattoos are frowned upon by conservative elements in Turkey’s diverse society, they are highly fashionable among secular urban youth, including school-age teens. The measure is the latest hugely controversial measure taken by the government in education, after it allowed girls in high schools to wear the Muslim headscarf, a move critics said eroded Turkey’s secular principles.
