TURKEY'S RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE POSTS

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ANKARA 001043 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM TU SUBJECT: TURKEY'S RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE POSTS "PROPER" CONDUCT GUIDANCE ¶1. (U) Turkey's Religious Affairs Directorate's (Diyanet) guidance on "appropriate" conduct for Muslims, posted on its website, is generating considerable debate, particularly proscriptions governing "sexual life." The list attracted attention during a May Provincial Muftis Conference; Radikal daily and several women's groups criticized warnings against women and men remaining alone together, women wearing perfume and dating as increasing discrimination and violence against women. Diyanet officials claim the information was taken out of context and is part of a broader catechism that has been on the website since 2006 and published in books since 2002. ¶2. (U) According to the Diyanet guidance, women must be particularly careful because they have "sexual stimulants" that can arouse strangers. They should cover themselves when they go out, be serious and modest when talking to strangers and not wear perfume outside their homes. Failure to do so constitutes "immoral" behavior, contrary to the Prophet Mohammed's teachings. Dating before marriage constitutes adultery and a woman should not travel alone or remain alone in a closed place with a strange man; otherwise, Satan will join them, resulting in adultery or gossip that might damage their chastity. Radikal reported that some books published by the Diyanet Foundation claim shaking hands with the opposite sex, co-education and dating lead to sexual perversion. Diyanet officials distanced themselves from the charge, stating each publishing house is individually responsible for content. ¶3. (U) Diyanet Chief, Professor Ali Bardakoglu, backpedaled when asked about the guidance, stating a relationship between unmarried people is not adultery but is also not something permitted by Islam, either. "Our religion encourages seeing each other before marriage. What has been banned is for unmarried couples to exceed the restrictions imposed by Islam on being together," he explained. The Diyanet guidance is not a fatwa, Bardakoglu emphasized. State Minister Sait Yazicioglu also stressed that "interpretations" should not be regarded as requirements of Islam; some provisions are unquestionable but many other aspects could be interpreted in different ways. Applying ancient interpretations to today's conditions would lead to problems, he added. ¶4. (U) Several women's groups objected to the guidance as justifying sexual harassment by portraying women as provocateurs, and discouraging women from working outside the home. "These explanations work directly towards deepening sexual inequality; they become part of the discrimination against women," commented Kizbes Aydin, head of the Women's Culture House Association. The Diyanet influences how men and women think and behave; Diyanet comments are accepted without debate, Zozan Ozgokce of the Van Women's Association explained. Ozgokce views the guidance as an obstacle, preventing things from changing. She noted that women in Van do not sit on bus seats vacated by men until the man's warmth has dissipated because of a similar warning. Muftus' words are taken very seriously, therefore they should comment about universal issues rather than specific behavior, she said. Aysegul Kanat, a women's activist, agreed, calling the guidance very dangerous. People see them as scientifically proven information and they create pressure on women to conform, she said. ¶5. (SBU) Comment. In Turkey's polarized political atmosphere, such "religious edicts" deepen the concerns of those Turks wary of the ruling Justice and Development Party's (AKP) pro-Islam roots. Two other recent incidents piqued suspicions as well: an Ankara University rowing team, in Sapanca (near Istanbul) for a championship race, was attacked May 31 by locals for wearing shorts and tights, and lingerie shops in Malatya reportedly received threat letters warning them to remove lingerie from store windows because the displays violate Turkey's ethical principles. Pious Turks complain they cannot live their religion openly; the ban on headscarves in state offices and universities is one example. At the same time, media reports of pressure to comply with Islamic precepts inflame fears that less pious Turks risk being forced to be publicly observant. End comment. Visit Ankara's Classified Web Site at ANKARA 00001043 002 OF 002 http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Turk ey WILSON