Women Oppose Categorisation into Covered/Uncovered

Under the slogan “We look out for each other,” over 1,000 women have signed a statement condemning the categorisation of women into those who are covered and those wo are not.

Emine Özcan

On Tuesday (18 March) around 15 women displayed the signatures of 1,200 women at Galatasaray Square in Taksim, central Istanbul and read a press release.

The protest is condemning the categorisation of women into those who wear headscarves and those who do not and calls for solidarity among women.

The protesters said, “A public arena where we do not walk arm in arm is not our public arena.”

The women hung up the signatures on a washing line in order to display them. The statement was read by photographer Nilgün Yurdalan, academic Hidayet Sefkatli and Nil Yurdaer.

Against stereotypes and for solidarity

The statement read,

“As believing and unbelieving, covered and uncovered women who don’t believe in an ‘either you or us’ attitude,

We oppose the stereotyping of covered women as ignorant, fanatic, plotting, old-fashioned “Islamic robots” and the racist attitudes which lead to them being exposed to violence.

We also oppose the stereotyping of uncovered women as sexual commodities and the sexist attitudes which see them as exposing themselves and sexually encouraging others.

We know that the gulfs created between women make it easier to oppress and exploit them. We believe that this oppression will only be overcome in an environment of peace and when rights and freedoms are made use of freely.

We women oppose all kinds of discrimination and justice, and we reject the understanding of ‘women sitting at their husband’s feet’, which reduces the status of women, the discrimination encountered by the discourse of ‘general morals’, the state, which as a ‘contest of brave men’ tries to limit women’s freedoms with laws and oppression.

We women do not want our bodies to be appropriated in the name of laicism, the republic, religion, tradition, morality, sexual honour or freedom.

Following Hannah Arendt, who said, “To ignore someone means to push them into doubting their own existence,” we women do not doubt each other, we look out for each other.

Because we women stand by each other by being aware of each other.” (EZÖ/GG)