Muslims don’t…

I was desperately looking for something positive about Turkey in the press.

I failed to find anything, but wanted to share this article, commenting on the Prime Minister’s various speeches.  Not only this article,  but the comments that follow serve to underline the nonsense that is going on here – one comment talked about “the bridge to the twelfth century”.  My sentiments exactly.

I’ll let you know as soon as something good happens.

Muslims don’t… – Hurriyet Daily News and Economic Review

Still no youtube in Turkey

I thought I’d just check to see if I could access youtube.com, but that is still not possible in Turkey … it’s still banned …

http://www.ihbarweb.org.tr

“Honour Killings” ?

The practice of so-called “honour killings” appears to continue in Turkey.  This time a young nurse was the victim.  She had filed for a divorce, and this was her husband’s response…

English :: The Common Reason for “Honourable” Men to Kill – Bianet.

Court of Appeals: Virginity as Essential Wedding “Qualification” – Bianet

Words are beginning to fail me.  What century are we in?  It is known that women have committed suicide, rather than have a “virginity test”, on the basis that even this test could render them “de-flowered”.  What can we do to bring a halt to these barbaric practices and ignorant judicial decisions?

English :: Court of Appeals: Virginity as Essential Wedding “Qualification” – Bianet.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

Perhaps Turkey just likes making headlines, under the impression that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.

“Turkish President Abdullah Gul has accused the EU of interfering after Ankara was asked to reconsider an invitation to the president of Sudan.

Omar al-Bashir has been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).  But Mr Gul said he was invited to a summit of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), not for bilateral talks with Turkish officials.

Turkey, which has applied for EU membership, does not recognise the ICC.

It says it has no plans to arrest Mr Bashir, who is due to attend an OIC economic summit in Istanbul on Sunday and Monday. Turkey insists it is not shifting away from its traditionally close ties to the West.”

Perhaps “shifting away” loses something in translation.

Source:   Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/8347419.stm

Pure?

Just as I thought Turkey was forging ahead, and was finally becoming “modern”, I have only to read the local newspapers to be advised otherwise.

This is a quotation from an article in Sunday’s Zaman

“The rise in hymenoplasty doesn’t mean that the hymen and virginity have gained importance, but indicates that women are increasingly possessedof more spending power and medical knowledge and that physicians are less conservative with regard to these operations,” psychologist Dilek Akıcı Tayanç explained in an interview with Sunday’s Zaman. “Women have gained economic strength and knowledge over the years, but this development hasn’t enabled them to break the taboos regarding virginity, but to more effectively be able to protect themselves from the results of these taboos.”

So it’s only a facade. All the modern clothing, Ugg boots, miniskirts, going to university, getting jobs, and seemingly being independent, all of it fades away and we are back in the dark ages. The taboos still exist,  and women have learned to circumvent them, instead of abolishing them.

Perhaps that isn’t possible in this particular country. Or perhaps it’s a very slow process. It’s certainly a challenge to the bravest of them all.

 

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-188120-160-women-turning-to-surgery-to-combat-virginity-taboos.html

 

modernisation, apparently

the changing skyline of old Istanbul

Political pressure on Turkish press

Turkey, once again, features in reports regarding freedom of the press – or lack of it.  A recent report for the RSF Worldwide Press Freedom Index, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF),  shows Turkey has slipped 20 places from its position last year, and now ranks at number 122, in a survey of 175 countries.

This report, prepared by the world’s leading press watchdog advocating freedom of the press, has contributed to the numerous comments on  Dogan Media Holding and the two tax-related procedures that have been opened against it.  The Dogan Group is a leading national media group which publishes the daily Hurriyet newspaper, amongst other publications.

Bans on internet sites such as YouTube, (which has been banned since May 2008), the pending court cases  against Facebook,  Google Sites and other sites, and censorship of media that support minorities, have also affected this slide in the perceived freedom of the press in Turkey.

The EU is following these events closely, as the Commission’s 2009 Progress Report shows.  This report, published on 14 October 2009, states,

“Overall, there is an increasingly open and free debate in Turkish society, including on issues traditionally perceived as sensitive. Article 301 of the Turkish Criminal Code is no longer used systematically to restrict freedom of expression. However, there are prosecutions and convictions based on a number of other articles of the criminal Code. Turkish law does not sufficiently guarantee freedom of expression in line with the ECHR and the ECtHR case law.  Political pressures on the media and legal uncertainties affect freedom of the press in practice.”   http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/pdf/key_documents/2009/tr_rapport_2009_en.pdf

Turkey is maintaining a desire to become part of the EU, with no “special partnership” role.  At a recent seminar in Ankara, Ambassador Marc Pierini, Head of the European Commission Delegation to Turkey,  said, ” A genuine democracy can only flourish with the full implementation of freedom of expression and freedom of the media. “

Expat website banned in Turkey

Really at a loss to understand what the Turkish government hopes to gain by shutting down these websites.  Do they really feel so threatened?  Is this an effort to control absolutely everything?    How can an expat site be a threat?  Or is it the expats themselves that they have in their sights?  What or who is next?

English :: Seventh Website Ban within One Month – Bianet

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Women’s Rights in Turkey

Yet again Turkey makes headlines regarding women’s rights.

The thinking is, given enough exposure, one day things will change for the better.  The more voices there are, the better they can be heard.

English :: Women’s Rights Must be Implemented in Daily Life – Bianet

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