Muslim women face unique barriers in higher education in both Muslim-majority and Western countries, a conference has heard, prompting calls for universities to ask tough questions about whether certain ideas of diversity can hamper gender equality.

Ay?e Didem Sezgin, assistant professor in the Faculty of Law at Bo?azi?i 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ, told the Times Higher Education Global Sustainable Development Congress in Istanbul that there was ¡°still bias against women of faith¡± in higher education institutions.

Referencing the book Do Muslim Women Need Saving? by US anthropologist Lila Abu-Lughod, Sezgin said it was time to ¡°stop thinking that Muslim women need saving from their own values¡±, suggesting that ¡°both Muslim men and secular women¡± were part of the problem.

During a panel discussion on achieving gender parity in higher education, Sezgin recounted her personal experience ¡°as a Muslim woman coming from the Global South and as an international student coming to London¡±.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

She began her higher education studies as a law student in Istanbul during the country¡¯s ban on headscarves on university campuses.?

¡°I wasn¡¯t sure how I could continue higher education as that was a big concern,¡± she said, recalling how she wore a hat over her headscarf to get around the ban, until it was lifted during her second year of university in 2010.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

While Sezgin said that Turkish universities have ¡°come a long way¡± since then, with additional equality policies and an embrace of targets relating to the United Nations¡¯ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), she said that ¡°women who prefer to share their core values visibly¡­still face this invisible barrier¡­both during higher education and once they start in a job¡±.

Sezgin later completed a master¡¯s degree and PhD at King¡¯s?College London, where she said it was rare to see a ¡°woman of faith¡± having ¡°a permanent position of visibility¡±.

During her time at the institution, it was widely reported that King¡¯s had blocked 13 students and one staff member ¨C most of whom were Muslim ¨C from its campus during a visit from the Queen as it suspected them of being part of previous protests ¨C an action the university later apologised for.

¡°It was not very different from my Turkish experience, interestingly,¡±?Sezgin said.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

¡°So in that sense it doesn¡¯t make much difference whether I¡¯m in a Muslim-majority country or a non-Muslim country. I felt this bias.¡±

However, she said that London was a ¡°unique city¡±: ¡°I never really remember anything odd about being a woman of faith openly in public spaces.¡±

Sezgin said the expectation from some quarters that Muslim women eventually reject their values to ¡°fully become part of this community¡± was ¡°disturbing¡±.

¡°Both Muslim men and secular women are not helping in that sense to deal with these discriminatory approaches,¡± she said.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

When asked whether she had any advice for tackling gender parity in higher education, she said: ¡°Widening perspectives when we talk about discrimination or equality. Sometimes the idea of diversity limits women¡¯s chances to carry their own core values.¡±

Regarding solutions to limit the kinds of barriers she faced, she suggested ¡°having more nuances in the way we design SDG targets in relation to equality¡±.

51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

¡°When you look at the concept of equality, [it includes] gender and race and perhaps religious values. But not necessarily other elements that come into play to deal with Islamophobia, for example, or other religions,¡± she said.

ellie.bothwell@timeshighereducation.com