The euphoria of a new language

Lots of young people enrol in courses at all sorts of language schools to learn a new language. From business English to Japanese, from Spanish to Turkish and Arabic. Freelance journalist Fréderike Geerdink, herself studying Turkish in Istanbul, explores the backgrounds of this language passion.

Evelien still feels the euphoria when she thinks back: in a supermarket in Utrecht …

Many abortions due to wrong vaccinations in Turkey

ISTANBUL –As part of a Turkish government campaign, a number of pregnant women were accidentally vaccinated against rubella. The vaccination can cause serious deformations to the unborn child, which led sixty women to have an abortion, according to today’s daily newspaper Hürriyet and local paper Ege’de Son Söz.

It is also possible that pregnant women were vaccinated by mistake in 32 …

I prefer Turkey

These four Turkish women grew up in the Dutch cities of Rotterdam, Hengelo, Oss and Zwolle. A few years ago, they chose to leave Holland for Turkey. Their future, they say, is in Turkey!
 
published in February issue Red Magazine, the Netherlands

“Look!” says Arzu enthusiastically when the twilight falls in Turkey’s capital Ankara. The city is built on hills …

“My husband was married off”

Mariska married the love of her life, Turkish man Ayhan. He moved to Holland, and everything seemed fine. That is, until he went to visit his family for a vacation and was promptly married off.

Mariska (30): “My husband and I planned to go on a holiday at his family’s place for a month. But he missed his family and his …

The divisive dilemma facing Turkish feminists

Anyone who is pro womens’ rights in Turkey is almost automatically against more rights for women wearing a headscarf. Ever since devout Muslims gained political and economic power, Turkish feminists have been in an awkward position.

The fact that it was the political party representing devout Muslims that lifted the headscarf ban at universities makes Handan Koç angry. “Of course”, says …

Back to Turkey

The number of migrants returning to Turkey is increasing. The more negative attitude towards foreigners plays a role, but is not the main reason for leaving Holland. Four women share their motivations for taking the step.

Cabaret artist and writer Nilgün Yerli (37) has been back living in Turkey for a year
“I left Holland because I love it so

…

Going to Europe? I think not!

(pictures temporarily unavailable)

Turkey and the EU: the negotiations about access might not go so smoothly, and probably only in about ten or fifteen years will Turkey be part of the EU. And then of course, many Europeans fear, hordes of Turks will come to Europe to find work. In reality the Turkish economy is growing, the country is rapidly developing, …

Through the gate, headscarf off

Politicians in Ankara are fighting over the headscarf ban. Many Turkish students are tired of the discussion and would like the ban to be abolished quickly.

While in Ankara, the political centre of the country, advocates and opponents of the headscarf ban are locked in bitter debate, many other Turks are rather tired of the discussion. As are the women it …

To the market you don’t wear glitters

(photography by Allard de Witte, sharpness of the pictures is being worked on!)There are headscarves and headscarves. Take a look at the market in Ürgüp, a medium size village in central Turkey. 
Decoration 

Habibe Akkaya …

Former prostitutes want to become parliamentarians

There are more independent candidates than ever before in the Turkish parliamentary elections next Sunday. Ayse Tükrükçü (40) and Saliha Ermez (37) are two of them. They were both forced to work as prostitutes but managed to escape.

ISTANBUL – She will never forget the first time she was brought into the brothel she was forced to work in: …