The creepy decision of the Constitutional Court

We hear about it, we see it and we experience it. 

But this last decision of the Constitutional Court is creepy and crowns it all. Last week, the Constitutional Court annulled a clause in a law which penalized the imam and couple who conducted a religious wedding ceremony without the official wedding done first. 

What else do you want from women? 

One can hardly keep oneself from crying out loud, “Enough is enough. Do you want to take our lives next? What else do you want from women? Is your fear of women this big?” 

This last decision is one that cuts the life cord of women from its roots. Let us take a look at its consequences to grasp the dimension of the issue: 

First, it will pave the way for more child brides. It causes the legitimization of child brides. A man, if he wishes to, will be able to marry a child bride who he has bought from her family, sitting in front of an imam, performing a religious wedding. 

Nobody will be able to say anything now because there is no preventive legal clause. The obligation of an official act of matrimony has been lifted; a limitless freedom has been granted to men.

That is not all. This decision will also clear the way for polygamy. A man would be able to take as many wives as he wants with an imam’s ceremony, when the obligation of an official wedding is lifted. There is no legal arrangement to prevent this. 

In short, women in Turkey are left with no economic and legal protection. From now on, men will call “I am divorcing you” to their women according to religious regulations and women will be left out in the cold.  

As long as there is no legal binding and no legal marriage, there is no legal or lawful obligation to do anything…

In the history of this country, women have never been so denigrated, so patronized, so humiliated and left so unprotected.

It is opening the door to sharia law because there is no explanation or legal base other than this to be able to take four wives with a religious wedding. 

This is officially a sharia order. 

What does the family minister do?  

What I am unable to comprehend at all is that we have a Family and Social Policies Minister in this country. Moreover, this minister is a woman. She is in this position in order to protect women. However, she prefers to protect the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) instead of women.  

Upon this verdict of the Constitutional Court, she has said, “Measures need to be taken so that this new law does not cause an increase in child brides.” 

What on earth does this mean? 

The measure is that this law should never have been altered in the beginning. If there was an amendment made, it should have been immediately annulled. 

The only authority able to do this is the ruling party, the AKP. 

However, the cabinet minister in charge of the family, Minister of Family and Social Policies Ayşenur İslam is beating around the bush; she is talking in circles as she has always done…

Did she act any differently during the Özgecan Act, when young student Özgecan [Aslan] was murdered by a minibus driver? 

She was so kind as to “accept” a petition with more than one million signatures on it. What was in question was the lifting of reduced sentences for crimes against women. While this was in question, she was looking up in the air, about to whistle.

She has done nothing for women. 

This is a shame. This is a sin.

Is there not a soul within the ruling party AKP who would defend women; anybody who would speak up for women? 

Isn’t there anybody within this party who would ask, “What are you doing?”
 
Anybody who would say, “This is enough. We should not oppress women anymore…” 

It looks as if there is not... 

For us, there is nothing left but to take care of our own selves. It is obvious that there will not be a molecule of good coming from men…