In Exaltation of women

The following essay commemorates the March 8, 1998

INTERNATION DAY OF THE WOMEN

Mahmut Esat Ozan

A Jubilation Long Overdue

The world recently celebrated The Day of the Woman in March, l998. 'UNIFEM', the United Nations Development Fund for Women and many other international organizations have launched the l998 global campaign for Women's Human Rights designed to focus on this very important subject.

Also, last month beginning with the city of Istanbul, and all around Turkey, country-wide celebrations have taken place commemorating the reforms established under the aegis and guardianship of the great emancipator of the Turkish women, Kemal Ataturk. After laying a large wreath at the base of the Taksim Ataturk monument, the combined leadership of Turkish women's organizations joined the global Women's Human Rights groups and declared March 8 as the day to celebrate THE YEAR OF THE WOMAN.

Earth Shaped By Woman; Woman Shaped by Earth

We humans, who inhabit this planet, either as a male or a female representative of some nearby or distant society, whether young or old, rich or poor, white or black or in between, all have one thing in common. We all are the end result or the product of a miraculous genesis, of a marvelous phenomenon called BIRTH. This endowment is bestowed up us, the humanity, by ultimate, altruistic donors: our MOTHERS. Every living creature, who is able to think, is appreciative of this unique fact and comes to the world already permeated with an equal, indelible feeling of LOVE. Nevertheless, no matter how much we may love and adore our mother, our love for her can never equate her love for us

It can be said then that the intensity of 'others' love can never attain the height of 'mother's' love.

Extra-ordinary daughters of distinguised mothers

The statement above belongs to the great ATATURK, who just like any other human being loved his mother, and furthermore, he was constantly enraptured by the presence of all kinds of women around him, mothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, daughters, aunts, and grannies, were all exalted by him. Ataturk once declared:

"If a society is content with the acquisition of modern ways for only one of the sexes, such society is enfeebled by more than one half. A nation which is resolute on progress and civilization must particularly accept this basic truth."

Ataturk continues, "There's another path which we can follow more securely, more straightforward: to let the great Turkish women participate in our work; to conduct our life jointly with them, to make the Turkish woman a partner, an associate, an assistant and supporter of the man in the scientific, moral, social and economic domains."

"Turkish women will also become imbued in science and technology and will go through all levels of education which men undergo."

"Thereafter in social life, women will march along with men and they will support and help one another."

"Everything we see in the world is creative of women."

Roxana Hayward Vivian and the Turkish Women

During the past century, while the Ottoman Empire, weakened by numerous foreign wars and some internal strife, was trying to survive as a semi-modern Middle Eastern country, it was obvious to conclude that its educational institutions, shackled by antiquated religious Sheriat laws, were not in a position to be compared with their European level counterparts in the educational field. Even though there were some adequate and acceptable higher learning institutions for male students, women's facilities lacked a great deal. Fortunately, some American universities began to apply for the inauguration of female high school and college instruction, especially in Istanbul. Later on in Izmir and the city of Tarsus, American colleges for women made their debut. In one instance, a young American teacher initiated a bona fide Western type school in Istanbul. Roxana Hayward Vivian was one of the earliest English speaking teachers, who came to Istanbul and taught Turkish girls. She was a graduate of Wellesley College and became a full Professor of English and Mathematics. She was fascinated by Turkey, and when the opportunity showed itself, she took advantage of it. She signed a 3 year contract and in l906 started teaching in Istanbul at the American College for Girls. In her day, the Turkish women did not enjoy equality. They were relegated almost to a second class citizenship, which did not give them much of anything in terms of freedom, or any other human rights. Every observation made indicates that the woman's position in Turkey had not changed relatively much since the days of the Prophet. The average Ottoman Turkish male showed pride and possessiveness when it came to the subject of women. He saw women as an inferior species, who needed protection and guidance. He was ever watchful and caught her if she strayed for an instance from the narrow path which society laid down for her.

Women's lives up to the time of Ataturk's irreconcilable reforms were just like in other Islamic countries of that era. Unfortunately for women, who happen to be living in those countries where Sheria is the law, life for them has gotten worse rather than better.

The tragedy of the extremist Taliban religious decrees in Afghanistan is a case in reference. This June will mark the fifth anniversary of the world conference on Human Rights with its historic recognition of women's rights as human rights. Yet even though this is a burning issue, there are other despotic regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Iran, which are not much better than that in Afghanistan, where a large portion of Muslims, men, and preponderantly women, are uneducated, poor and vulnerable to the misguiding, narrow-minded, bigoted clerics, and arrogant Mullahs.

A letter writer to the New York Times, Mr. Fareed Zahid of Quincy, Massachusetts, said the other day:
"In despotic regimes like Saudi Arabia, Islam often becomes a tool to contain the people, and what better way to do so than to make women the weaker segment of society, the target?"
It seems to many that while it is important to expose abuses in the Muslim countries, it is equally important to explore why they occur. Let us not forget, however, that divorce, homelessness, spousal abuse, teen-age pregnancy and rape are rampant in non-Muslim countries, too. If the causes of infringements on women's human rights could be attributable to ignorance and illiteracy in those despotic lands, how then can one be able to condone the above-mentioned abuses in highly literate non-Muslim countries?

All civilized people, men and women abhor the practice of FGM, the female genital mutilation, and we all show disappointment when we read with dismay that the Turkish society is not yet ready for a public discussion on virginity. We should also remember that the Turkish women have, nevertheless, equal rights in legal, property, marriage, child custody and political matters. It's a blessing that the long-standing backward customs, which put Turkish women at a disadvantage have mostly been eradicated, again, thanks to Kemal Ataturk and his exaltation of women.


Sema Karaoglu