Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Izmir deputy Canan Arıtman has sent a letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's wife Emine Erdogan saying the way she dressed was an insult to Turkish women in general and calling on her to dress properly.
A report in the mass circulation Turkish daily Hurriyet quoted Aritman's letter saying that tens of thousands of Turkish women were preparing to file for damages in view of Erdogan's dressing style both at state functions and while accompanying the Prime Minister on foreign visits.
Her "Islamic style" dressing has frequently been covered by the Turkish press, most recent of all a personal touch to her costume during a visit to Egypt with Erdogan.
Wrong image
The letter to Erdogan was quoted as saying "the style you and wives of many ministers dress while on foreign trips where you are representing the Republic of Turkey offends the Turkish women.
"I respect your personal preference. But women in the modern Republic of Turkey have accepted a non-veiled, contemporary western type dressing style. Because of this, your personal preferences are leading to a wrong image abroad of the Turkish women and of Turkey itself."
This is not private life
The letter went on: "Foreign visits are not a part of your private lives. You are going there as trhe wives of the prime minister and ministers of the Turkish Republic. You are representing our country and the Turkish women. All of your expenses are being covered by the Turkish nation.
"You cannot display your personal preferences, your lifestyle while carrying out this duty of representation. "
Deflating the struggle
"As thousands of women who have been educated abroad, worked and been abroad for business or scientific work we have struggled on this issue.
"Because they do not fully know of our country and lifestyle, foreigners always used to tell us 'you wear chadors in your own country but you dress like us abroad'. You have brought the struggle of tens of thousands of Turkish women to square one in a second".
Stay at home
"If you must go to foreign visits with your husband, be like a contemporary Turkish woman. If you can't be that way then please stay at home.
"We, the Turkish women, have no patience left. In order to compensate for our grievances tens of thousands of us are thinking of filing for damages.
"We also request that you condemn members of parliament of the AKP (ruling Justice and Development Party) who beat their wives or are married with more than one woman." (SO/AD/II/YE)
