Veiled Deputies Enter the Parliament

4 female deputies from AKP attended a parliamentary session with headscarves this afternoon - an event that set several landmarks: Not only that veiled deputies attended a session, a feminist discourse reigned the parliament podium. While CHP said “Both veiled and unveiled women are our sister-in-laws”; MHP reacted upon politics through woman identity. 

AKP deputies Gülay Samancı, Sevde Beyazıt Kaçar, Nurcan Dalbudak and Gönül Bekin Şahkulubey recently held their hajj duties [travel to holy sites of Islam] and declared that they would like to attend the parliament session with their headscarves.

This afternoon, 4 female deputies attended the parliament session moderated by Parliament Interim President Meral Akşener, an unveiled deputy from MHP.

#MilletinBaşörtüsüArtıkMecliste (People’s Headscarf is at the Parliament) became the trend tweet hashtag.

CHP Reacts to AKP

Following the entry of veiled female deputies in the parliament, CHP Uşak province deputy Dilek Akagün Yılmaz took off her jacket, revealing her t-shirt with a photo of Atatürk and Turkish flag.

AKP deputies applauded the expression “Both veiled and unveiled women are our sister-in-laws”.  

“My sister is also veiled. I don’t use headscarf for profit or votes. i won’t let you use it either,” CHP deputy Ince said.

BDP hails women's liberation movement

BDP Group Interim Chair Pervin Buldan made a speech on behalf of her group, expressing her satisfaction on the resolution of veil problem under the roof of the parliament. 

“I am congratulating all the parties here for not making us live a second “Merve Kavakçı Incident”.  I would like to underline something. The reason why 4 female deputies could enter the parliament today is the very movement of women for years. I am congratulating all women here. Because AKP government didn’t resolve the headscarf problem for 11 years of ruling. They didn’t even put it in their agenda.”

Buldan urged men to stop intervening women’s clothing, lifestyles and their comments on these issues.

“Men, please don’t speak. Let no men intervene on what women will wear, what they will do. We ne longer want men to intervene women. We can prove that we have a brain to think for ourselves.”

Buldan called for union and solidarity for women’s right movement.

MHP: Do politics with women, not on women

MHP Eskişehir deputy Ruhsal Demirel said that recently there has been several interventions on female deputies’ dress code and that could be considered as mobbing. “Get out of our private space. On behalf of my group, I am condemning the mobbing that is done through women identity.

“We are rejecting to define people by their clothing…Don’t do politics through women. Do politics with women, not on women. 

“State, as we know it, should be an invisible hand. When the state tells us not to cross on red light, we cross on yellow. Instead, the state must tell us to cross on green.” (ÇT/BM)

* Click here to read the original article in Turkish.