Headscarf: The Day Turkey Stood Still

by Richard Peres

"Headscarved women are here, they are not going away, and they are maybe growing in number and they want to participate in public life," Merve Kavakci, 2010. Can the wearing of an Islamic headscarf ever be reconciled with a policy of complete secularism? Is it a symbol of freedom of choice for women, or one of religious dominance? The Headscarf is a unique behind-the-scenes story of the first headscarved woman to be elected into the Turkish Parliament, and the harsh reaction against her election. It deconstructs her vilification by the government, military, media and political parties. Nowhere is the issue of the wearing of the hijab more contentious than in Turkey, whose constitutional principle of secularism has lead to the Turkish government banning women who wear headscarves from working in the public sector. But the majority of women who wear the headscarf in Turkey think that to do so is very important and reflects their dignity and personality, as well as their religious beliefs. In May 1999, this conflict hit the headlines when Merve Kavakci walked into the Turkish Grand National Assembly to take her oath of office as a member of Turkish Parliament, wearing her Islamic headscarf. A near riot ensued, and the Prime Minister famously told the crowd to 'put this woman in her place'. Since then, Kavakci has become an outspoken critic of Turkey's secularization policy, travelling the globe in support of Muslim women's rights, especially regarding the hijab, which she promotes as a symbol of female empowerment. Richard Peres uses this fascinating true story to promote greater understanding of contemporary Turkish politics, and to illustrate the ongoing tension between Turkey's military-secular bloc and its predominantly Islamic population. This highly accessible book will resonate with Western readers who want to know more about this fundamental issue and gain a greater understanding of women's issues, religious conflicts, political Islam, human rights and the struggle for democracy in the Middle East.

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 31, 2012

Reviews

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a First Reads Giveaway. On May 2, 1999 Merve Kavakci was to be sworn in to the Turkish Parliament, the first woman wearing the headscarf in deference to her religion to be sworn into such a position. However, for several decades Turkish women have not been allowed to wear the headscarf in universities, white collar jobs, or as civil servants. Merve's family, deeply religious, highly educated, and active participants in Turkey's society and academia were forced to come to America to assure their daughters' education. Upon completing her masters degree, Merve returned to Turkey to raise her two daughters in her homeland, and to work for the democracy and freedoms she witnessed in the United States. She was not allowed to take her oath of office in 1999, her political party refused to support her when she needed it most, she was hounded by the media, had her citizenship revoked, and was almost arrested for nothing more than wearing her headscarf into the Parliament building. The author (Richard Peres) does a very good job of explaining Turkey's version of democracy, secularism, and it's reactionary policies with the goal of keeping religion out of its national politics. And much of this is understandable, as it seems that Turkey hopes to maintain a secular government rather than become another Islamic state run by Shariah law and religious extremists. However, it is also clear that while the country touts religious freedom, and its protections of people's right to dress as they want (rather than force women to cover their heads, etc), those women whose beliefs dictate that they wear the headscarf were very much discriminated against and treated as second class citizens. I believe the author did a tremendous job of bringing these things out, and of showing Merve Kavakci as the brave, honest, and honorable woman she must be. Having just finished the book, I have not yet done any research to learn what if anything has changed in Turkey since the writing of the book. But it has made me curious, and I will be doing so. Thank you Mr. Peres for an interesting look at things we, in America, understand so little about.

[A Reader · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's a self-promotional book about a woman that doesn't seem to realize that her ability to get elected to Parliament in the first place was the direct result of the reforms of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who exalted women in the 1920s, put laws on the books to encourage them to take a larger part in the political process--and every aspect of society and gave them the right to vote and hold public office before many women in European countries did! Kavakci's actions are in complete contrast to the spirit of Ataturk's reforms, which sought to overturn Ottoman rule where (headscarved) women were treated as second class citizens, and tried instead to create and maintain a secular society in Turkey. Very ironic that now she and the ruling Islamic AKP in power in Turkey to which she belongs, are trying to look like women during the Ottoman Empire--when not only running for office, but even voting or as a woman having an equal say in anything was unthinkable.

Kavakci knew before she ran for office and got elected by the way--that she would not be allowed to wear her headscarf in parliament. Not surprisingly, most venues in the world have a dress code. One does not wear torn jeans or sweaty gym clothes to a White House state dinner, or a visit to see the Queen of England or the Pope, and bikinis are not allowed in church--or mosque--or the parliament building either, for that matter. She knew what the dress code for parliament was, and if she wasn't going to abide by it, she shouldn't have run for office. Now she is trying to gain sympathy (and make a few bucks) talking about a nothing-event. What a shame. to anyone who will listen, it seems.

This is NOT an issue of human rights as she is purporting that it is. Most foreigners who have never lived in Turkey for an extended period of time will not understand the issue and see it mainly as a human rights violation not to be able to wear a headscarf where one wants. But it's far more complicated than that and Kavakci hopes that she can dupe her audience into buying the human rights violation angle of it.

I'll even go one step further: if it's really a human rights issue, it assumes that the decision to wear a headscarf--or not--is a free choice. I can tell you that most women in Turkey who do wear headscarves do NOT do so out of free choice. They are told to cover before puberty in most instances and told that to not do so would dishonor the family, so they are pressured into it, even though they would prefer not to. This honor code is often strictly enforced by male relatives. So much for free will and treating women an equals--an essential tenet of human rights, last time I checked.

In summary, let's just say that there's a reason this book was a give-away. No one would--or should--waste any money on it.

[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received Headscarf: The Day Turkey Stood Still as a First Reads giveaway. In Headscarf, Richard Peres presents the background story of the Merve Kavlacki Incident in Turkey. The story depicts a period in Turkey when a devout Muslim woman was elected to Parliament in the secularist government. After being elected, the tension escalates when Kavlacki affirms that she will continue to wear her hijab in the Parliament chambers. The weight of the government, the military, and the press come crashing down as members of her own political party abandon her during this trying time. The book is an interesting examination of religious freedom, women's rights, Turkish culture, and an exploration of what does it mean to be a democracy.

Headscarf is a story that needs to be told. I unfortunately do not recall this event from that time. Peres is diligent in his research and compiles interviews, transcripts, third party opinions, and photos to present the issue. It was even fascinating for me view the Youtube posting of the event unfolding in Parliament on May 2, 1999. I think it is a good story that falls short on delivery. It seems that that author may have been too familiar with the subject. Perhaps more care could have been taken in restructuring the information. It was difficult to establish the background and context of this event. The train of thought appeared to bounce around and there were a number of redundancies throughout the book. Nonetheless, it is a worthwhile read for those who study these areas as well as the general public.

[Amanda]

DNF

It sounded promising, but the writing was often overly simplistic or sentimental, the author kept needlessly introducing himself into the story (And then I pressed the recorder, I met so and so and we had dinner and that's when they said, etc....it's a given that if someone is doing a biography on someone else, that they've met and interviewed as many people in the subject's life as possible. There's absolutely no reason to keep introducing themselves into a story that isn't theirs), and the story kept jumping back and forth in time with little reason. But the nail in the coffin was when the author started lamenting on how a bomb that killed over a dozen people took attention away from a newspaper interview with Kavakei--because of course an interview with a politician should be more important than the needless and violent deaths of 13 people. I made it about 100 pages, but couldn't force myself to continue any further.

This was a Goodreads giveaway

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Goodreads Giveaway Book

This book was so insightful for me. It was full of actual knowledge and every source was cited at the end of every chapter. I actually ended up doing a project on her for school because of this book. The kind of insight it provided me was mostly of the political nature: I had no idea of the secularist laws in Turkey, which is strange considering it was formerly the Ottoman Empire, which forced the Muslim faith on it's citizens or they were killed (see Armenian Genocide). I mean, there's a difference between Islam and Muslim, but this book really helped me out a lot when it came to international politics.