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