The Republic of Turkey was founded on the ashes of the Ottoman Empire, guided into democracy and secularism by a charismatic and enduring figure called Mustafa Kemal, or (Atatürk). Under Atatürk, the military adopted a defensive and interventionist attitude, and in successive generations several democratic governments were overthrown, often on the grounds of being a 'threat to secularism' because they displayed a moderate religiosity.
Modern Turkey is currently lead by an almost universally acclaimed government, a beacon of stability in a particularly unstable region - an administration that espouses not only moderate Islam, but also democracy and the separation of church and state - a great example to the world. Turkey, in recent years, has had an economic boom as the rule of law has settled on the land, and more investors have been drawn to the area because of its newfound stability. The military and ultra-secular judiciary, however, seem intent on bringing the government down through anti-democratic means.
It would perhaps be different if the government was jihadist or ultra-fundamentalist, or if the party espoused some kind of religious bigotry or dangerous theology, but none of this is true. The military feels that secularism is 'under assault' because of the Justice and Development Party's (AKP) decision to overturn a ban on headscarves that had only been in effect since the 1990s.
The AKP is accused of being a subversive Manchurian government intent on bringing a sharia-law-based Islamic theocracy to Turkey, but this is all propaganda intended to alarm the west and the secular minority that lives in Turkey's cities. The truth is, the AKP have very valid reasons for wanting to lift this infringement on religious liberty. The judiciary overturned this law, and are said to currently be in deliberations to remove the AKP from power, and perhaps even to dissolve the party (as they did the last quasi-religious populist party that was democratically elected). Meanwhile, the economy is in freefall as investors pull out, frantic over this seemingly wanton violation of stability and democratic mores.
While the military and judicial establishment may be ultra-secular, and while the cities of Turkey might also have heavy populations of like-minded citizens, the majority of Turkish citizens (who live in the less densely populated Asiatic part of the country, called Anatolia) are Muslim (but by no means extremists). The effect on this ban has been demonstrated to be disastrous to the rural community. There is a religious and cultural tradition for women to wear hijabs, and to force them to abandon this tradition in public is akin to forcing a western woman to walk outdoors topless. She may choose to do it, but she should not be forced.
This ban on headscarves has meant that Turkish women are now completely unable to attend college, and equality is suffering as a result. The government does not seem to be willing to step down, even as the judiciary draws up rulings in an effort to eliminate a democratically elected administration (sound familiar, Florida?), and if the ultra-secular elite does not learn its lesson, this could get very bad.
Oppression of religion leads to extremism, and the ban on the hijab is nothing but xenophobia - it is inexcusable. Muslim women deserve an education as well, and keeping them cloistered in their homes because of their faith does nothing to promote secular values in the population in the first place.