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Turkey's
Code of Conduct for Women Sparks Controversy |
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Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs, the Diyanet, has sparked a controversy in a declaration on how women should behave in public life. The Diyanet, which controls the Muslim faith in Turkey, has, as Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul, been sharply criticized by women's groups and supporters of the secular state.
In a website
declaration, Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate, the Diyanet, has given a
long list of do's and don'ts on how women should behave in public life.
Among the
most controversial are directives saying women should not wear perfume in
public and that they should not be alone with men.
In the heart
of Istanbul, there was general disbelief among women.
This
response was typical
"It is
really unbelievable, but nobody is listening to them, especially in big cities,
nobody. But it is strange, they are going more crazy everyday, and [I] do not
believe [anybody] will stop because of this declaration, because it is
stupid."
The woman
speaking was wearing a short-sleeve T-shirt, to cope with hot weather. But
according to the Diyanet that too is forbidden. It says women should always
cover up.
While the
ruling Islamic-rooted Justice and Development Party does not directly control
the Diyanet, observers say its declaration will add to growing concerns among
supporters of secularism about the direction the country is moving. The ruling
party is facing closure by the country' s supreme court on charges of
threatening the secular state.
The
Diyanet's declaration, which has no legal authority, has once again revealed
the deep polarization in Turkish society. Much of the religious press welcomed
the measures, but the secular media strongly condemned them.
The Diyanet,
which controls the Muslim faith in Turkey including the appointment of Imams,
has in recent years been advocating progressive policies that include
campaigning against the killing of women in the name of family honor.
Liz Amado of
the Istanbul based Women for Women's rights fears the declaration is part of a
worrying new trend,
"They
do talk [about] girls education, they had to talk about honor killings,"
said Liz Amado. "But this past year we have been witnessing a more of a
backlash in terms of approach and declarations against gender equality. Against
things such as wearing perfume, [saying it] is sacrilegious or flirting is the
same as adultery etcetera."
Earlier this
year, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan provoked anger from women's-rights
groups when he repeatedly called for all married women to have at least three
children.
According to
observers, because the ruling party is facing closure, its leadership is
increasingly courting its religious voter base. But such statements along with
the Diyanet's declaration will probably only add to the deepening polarization
in Turkish society.
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