Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Turkey: "The women communicating with strange men should speak in a manner that will not arouse suspicion in one’s heart"

Does the internet site of Turkey's Director of the Religious Affairs give a hint of the Sharia provisions that are coming to Turkey in the near future?

"Women React To The Religious Directives On 'Sexual Life,'" by Nilüfer Zengin for Bia News Service, May 28 (thanks to Morgaan Sinclair): Kızbeş Aydın, the head of Çiğle Evka2 Women’s Culture House Association (ÇEKEV), Zozan Özgökçe from Van Women’s Association and Ayşegül Kanat, a feminist from Adana, are upset at the information about sexual life located at the internet site of the Director of the Religious Affairs. The religious directives found on the internet site say the following:

“The women communicating with strange men should speak in a manner that will not arouse suspicion in one’s heart and in such seriousness and dignity that they will not let the opposite party misunderstand them, that they should not show their ornaments and figure and that they should cover in a fine manner; and that these are the orders. His highness the Prophet Mohammed did not think kindly of women who put on perfumes outside their homes and go strolling and saw this as immoral behavior.”

“Male violence is legitimized”

We asked women about the speech of the Director of the Religious Affairs regarding the woman, sexuality and “morality”…

Kızbeş Aydın, the head of Çiğle Evka2 Women’s Culture House Association:

“The Director of the Religious Affairs is not an institution authorized to give opinions on matters involving religious affairs. Therefore, I do not find these explanations appropriate. These explanations work directly towards deepening the sexual inequality and they become part of the discrimination directed at women.”

“These explanations provide the groundwork for the violence against women, they legitimize it, and they justify the implementation of violence with excuses such as “she has perfume” or “she dressed up provocatively”....

Indeed -- we have seen that elsewhere.
Thanks Dhimmi Watch

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