turkey on our minds and in our classrooms - World Affairs Council

WOMEN IN TURKEY
UNICEF: Excerpt from “A Gender Review in Education, Turkey 2003”
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=turkish+education+gender&view=detail&id=12D5B134F2729D
446A803BFFE5F8FDA857D87B14&first=0&FORM=IDFRIR
Since the inception of the Republic, both girls and boys have had access to all levels of education by
law. However, there is work to be done if the education system is to be made more relevant to the
reality of being a girl or young woman in modern Turkey.
Daily Zaman: Turkish Women face Discrimintation, Violence, Illteracy Deespte Small Gains
(03/07/12) http://www.todayszaman.com/news-273620-turkish-women-face-discrimination-violenceilliteracy-despite-small-gains.html
Discrimination, violence, unequal power relations, lack of education and child marriage are still
problems that Turkish women face on this year's March 8 International Women's Day, which is being
marked by several events highlighting the worrying issues women have to deal with instead of joyful
celebrations.
HEADSCARF DEBATE
MailOnline: It’s Vogue for the Veiled! (01/29/2012)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2093129/Al--Turkish-fashion-magazine-created-women-wearheadscarves.html
Outraged when he saw photos of transsexuals in a magazine, devout Muslim Ibrahim Burak Birer, 31
decided to create a magazine in Istanbul that would contest the ‘diktat of nudity’. With his friend
Mehmet Volkan Atay, 32, he created Alâ, a magazine described as the avant-garde of ‘veiled’ fashion.
New Twists and Turns in Turkey’s Headscarf Debate (02/01/12)
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/02/world/middleeast/new-twists-and-turns-in-<strong>turkey</strong>s-head-scarfdebate.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=<strong>turkey</strong>&st=cse
When the auto writer Merve Sena Kilic shifted a Mini into gear for a recent test drive, she had little idea
that she was fueling a remarkable shift in the head-scarf debate in Turkey.Covering her hair with a
patterned cream and brown scarf, Ms. Kilic steered the sporty Mini down winding forest roads outside
Istanbul for a November episode of her television program, “A Passion for Cars,” while discussing its
merits with her co-host Burcu Cetinkaya, a glamorous blonde who also happens to be a champion rally
driver in Turkey. Although two in three Turkish women wear head scarves, according to several surveys
taken over the past decade, the covering is officially banned from the public sphere, the definition of
which is continually contested.
Reuters Factbox: Policy on Muslim Scarves and Veils in Europe (04/11/11)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/11/us-france-veil-europe-factbox-idUSTRE73A3YM20110411
France's ban on full face veils, a first in Europe, went into force on Monday, making anyone wearing the
Muslim niqab or burqa in public liable to a fine of 150 euros ($216) or lessons in French citizenship. Here
is a summary of policies in some European countries on wearing the Muslim veil.
Christian Science Monitor: Wearing the Muslim Veil in America—What It’s Like
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2009/1213/Wearing-the-Muslim-veil-in-America-Whatit-s-like
Wearing the Muslim veil in America may cause awkward moments, but this hijabi finds more positive
than negative in her choice.
World Affairs Council Resource Packet: What the Rest of the World can Learn from Turkey Today – March 20, 2012 26