We have to educate women as little as possible, he said. His friend agreed, and added that women should not only have no education, they also shouldn’t work or leave their village too much. Because once you educate women and once they start earning an income, it will be a threat to marriage. Now, these two guys were, for example, …
Now, is the number of women wearing a headscarf rising or not? The conclusion of a survey seems to be a clear “yes”. In short, 69 percent of women cover their heads, against 64 percent in 2003. Of these women, 16 percent wear a ‘turban’ (a ‘religious scarf’ as apposed to a ‘traditional’ one), against 3.5 percent four years ago.
But …
A friend from Holland came to visit me this weekend. We were having dinner at Kanaat Lokantasi and after dinner of course we wanted tea. I ordered it ‘açık’. Friend asked what sort of tea I ordered. Well, normal Turkish tea, but then ‘açık’, meaning light. That’s the nice thing about a
…
It’s chopping time. For months and months there has been a big pile of wood behind the house in which I live on the second floor. There are trees, there are the remains of walls of a former house, there’s rubbish, there are two dish antennas attached to the trees, and, as I mentioned, there’s wood. Pallets, boards, a broken …
It’s so nice, when Father State takes care of you and protects you. That’s why it surprises me so much that women’s organisations are not happy with the new draft Constitution, which will be subject to a referendum on the 21st of this month. In the Constitution that needs to be replaced, there was a line about the equality of
…
Whether the army, the university rectors or the opposition want it or not, I don’t think the ban on wearing headscarves at university will survive much longer. The ruling AK Parti is working on a new constitution to replace the one made by the army when it ruled in the early 1980’s. Part of it will, as all the signs …
It looks like the Turkish mother has to be available constantly. ‘Anne’ she is called, like our ‘Mummy’. Or, more often heard, ‘Anneeeee!’ The word comes through my open window all day long in the small apartment that I rent in a somewhat shabby neighbourhood. From early in the morning till rather late at night. Anneeee, anneeee, anneeeee! Three times. …
Of course, in the end it’s Abdullah Gül who’s going to be the next president of Turkey and not his wife Hayrünnisa. But the country is talking about her. About her headscarf, to be more precise. It’s a religious one, tight around the head, no hair to be seen - a political scarf, many Turks call it. For an article …
Recent Comments