Danish parliament’s Turkish-origin MP pens tragic biography

COPENHAGEN

The biography penned by Halime Oğuz, the Danish parliament’s deputy of Turkish origin, on her tragic memoirs has attracted great attention across the country.

Integration and Immigration Minister Kaare Dybvad and Justice Minister Mattias Tesfaye also attended the promotional reception of the book at the royal palace in Copenhagen.

Elaborating the topics she covered in the book in her speech at the reception, Oğuz said she lost her 7-year-old son while trying to adapt to a different culture.

“The words I wanted to put together for years took time because how could I write about the worst nightmare that could happen to a mother?”

“Every time I tried, my pen and paper were burning in flames and turning into charcoal. This is the story of losing the most precious thing: My son, and the story of being disconnected from a joyless and dysfunctional life,” she said.

The book, published by Gyldendal, one of the most prestigious publishing houses in Denmark, also deals with her engagement at the ages of 15 and 17, followed by a type of marriage ordained by an imam, religious leader.

Returning to education and life at 28, Oğuz holds two bachelor’s degrees in comparative literature and middle east studies from the University of Southern Denmark.

She completed his master’s degree in Literature and Middle East Politics at Odense University.

Deciding to become a politician after being influenced by a political discussion program she saw on TV, Oğuz was nominated from Copenhagen by the Socialist People’s Party of Denmark (SF) in the general elections held in 2019.

She was elected into parliament, while receiving 1,278 personal votes.

Oğuz served as parliamentary spokeswoman on international development, EU, naturalization and homelessness for a year.

Born to her interpreter father and housewife mother in 1970 in the Central Anatolian province of Konya, Oğuz worked as an interpreter in many places, including the Odense Municipality, between 2003 and 2012.

She has been a columnist for the Danish daily Berlingske Tidende since 2016.

Oğuz told Turkish daily Milliyet earlier that she favors Türkiye being an important ally and Denmark continuing to assist in the full development of democracy in Türkiye.

SF’s ideological base is socialism, inspired by green politics and democratic socialism. The party is a strong supporter of feminism, human rights, the rights of minorities, and democracy.

The party was highly Eurosceptic during the 1990s. In 2004, the party shifted towards a more pro-European stance.