04.11.2025 22:35
A university student in Istanbul, İclal Özbey, who wears a headscarf, was allegedly insulted by her supervising professor during her dentistry internship. The professor reportedly said, "When you tie your head like that, you look like a cleaner; a dentist shouldn't look like this," and "I am a libertarian; I can help you uncover." While Özbey filed complaints through various channels, it was learned that her professor received a penalty of suspension from teaching.
A university student in Istanbul wearing a headscarf was allegedly insulted by her supervising professor during her dentistry internship. The academician used hate speech such as "You look like a cleaner when you tie your head that way, a dentist shouldn't look like this" and "I am a libertarian, I can help you to uncover." The professor repeatedly insulted 22-year-old İclal Özbey in a similar manner. After the incident, Özbey filed complaints through various channels, and it was learned that her professor received a penalty of suspension from education.
"YOU LOOK LIKE A CLEANER WHEN YOU TIE YOUR HEAD THAT WAY"
22-year-old İclal Özbey, a fourth-year dentistry student at a private university in Istanbul, allegedly faced hate speech from her supervising professor during her newly started internship. The instructor, who made derogatory remarks about Özbey's headscarf multiple times, stated that she was "under pressure" while claiming to be a "libertarian" student. Özbey, who was repeatedly subjected to insults such as "You look like a cleaner when you tie your head that way, a dentist shouldn't look like this" and "I am a libertarian, I can help you to uncover," received a response of "an unfortunate statement" when she shared the situation with school administrators.
After the school administration did not take concrete action, Özbey expressed her complaints through various channels and received news that her supervising professor had been suspended from education. Stating that similar situations should not occur, and that she wants to be evaluated based on her identity as a physician rather than her headscarf, Özbey indicated that she would follow up on the process.
"I CAN HELP YOU TO UNCOVER"
At the beginning of her internship training, İclal Özbey, who was subjected to her professor's insults, recounted her experiences: "I am a fourth-year dentistry student. Our professor gathered us to take attendance and get to know us, and as he approached me, he started to insult me. He said, 'I get annoyed by the way you tie your headscarf.' I thought it was to protect both the patients and ourselves, considering there could be hygiene-related issues, so I said, 'I can throw it back, it won't be a problem.' In response, he said, 'This doesn't change anything. Why don't you tie it like the others? You look like you just came out of a laundry, you can only be a cleaner like this.' During this time, I couldn't say anything because I was very surprised. Then he suddenly came at me and said, 'Your hair is already showing, why are you covered, uncover.' He explained that he was raised in a libertarian family and that I was being suppressed, saying, 'You are free to uncover.'
SUSPENSION PENALTY FOR THE ACADEMICIAN FROM EDUCATION
Özbey expressed that it upset her to be judged based on her appearance, saying, "It really upset me that I was judged not by my identity as a physician but by my appearance. I am there to be a physician, but our professor judged me based on my appearance and said I couldn't be a physician. Since there were patients around at that moment, I didn't speak up and reached out to the chief physician and our school administrators. Initially, they said to me, 'It's an unfortunate statement,' and they didn't grasp the seriousness of the situation, sending me home. When I saw that no reaction was taken, I expressed my complaints through various channels. Later, the school administration reached out to me, saying, 'We are with you all the way.' It was stated that a penalty of suspension from education was given to our professor," she said.