You won’t be able to silence women!

The head of the Federation of Women Associations of Turkey (TKDF), Canan Güllü, was not accepted inside the parliament building when she went there to speak about the draft that gives muftis the authorization to perform a marriage ceremony.

It sounds unbelievable but it did indeed happen.

The reason she was not admitted to parliament was also unbelievable.

They said, she was “banned.” But how?

She is a woman who has spent 30 years working so that women in this country are not killed or oppressed and do not face sexual assault or rape. She has helped hundreds, even thousands of women together with the TKDF and the Emergency Line.

Victims of rape and incest in Turkey call the Emergency Line led by her. She and her team and many brave female lawyers all around Turkey, fully support women who are oppressed.

Güllü is always in the field, she is with women in difficulty and she is not someone who dogmatizes from her seat. She travels everywhere in Anatolia, listens to women and comes up with solutions. She is truly a civil warrior who should be applauded, she devotes her life to this work. She has saved the lives of many women and she is the reason they are alive today. She is like a sister to them.

The reason she was “banned” was because of her silent attendance to the main opposition Republican People’s Party’s (CHP) statement in parliament regarding the detentions on Istanbul’s Büyükada Island.

In other words, she had not even taken up a position, had not even voiced her opinion. She was merely present there at that time.

How weird is that.

An important law concerning women is being discussed in parliament and someone who seeks justice for women and devotes her life to this cause is not even allowed inside. Güllü only wants justice, democracy and equality for every woman in this country.

This practice is not only in question for the managers of the Federation of Women’s Associations of Turkey but also to the “We Will Stop Femicides Platform” (WSF) and community centers.

This is horrible and unacceptable. This means silencing women and that means silencing this nation. But you will not succeed.

The disastrous speech of the theologian

You must have read or heard about the speech of theologian Cevat Akşit on the TV5 television channel.

“Do not take off your clothes when having sexual intercourse, as in the way—pardon me—donkeys do. Because there are angels there. If you take off your clothes, the angels will leave and the devil will stay alone in that room and the child of that couple will belong to the devil,” he said.

There are things I object to in this statement.

First of all, donkeys are not beings to be belittled but to be praised! They are also created by God. On top of that, they are definitely cleverer and more lovable than some people.

Secondly, what does it mean not to take your clothes off when you are having sex? Which of these actions must we be scared of and avoid—making love or taking your clothes off?

Thirdly, that means if you cannot undress then you cannot shower either! Is it also possible that the devil haunts you in the shower, too?

Fourth, in this statement, it is also not very clear why the angels are embarrassed of people who undress. Are angelsy shy beings?

Fifth, if the child of every couple that make love with no clothes on means they are the devil’s child, it means there are too many to count.