Ban will not lead to fewer abortions: Council of Europe

from Hurriyet Daily News
Criminalizing abortion will not lead to fewer abortions, said the Deputy Secretary General…

Body Politics With An Islamic Touch: It Is Not the Time For Forgetting Foucault

from The Istanbulian by Emre Kızılkaya

The picture is the courtesy of “A Not So Turkish Life”, the blog of an expat in Turkey. Please read the post titled “My Body: My Choice” to learn the story of this photo.

The mainstream media in the United States have recently published two opinion pieces.

Le Crazy Projet pro life de Recep Tayyip Erdogan pour la Turquie

by anne

Malgré son goût effréné  pour l?american way of life, la Turquie  où l?avortement est autorisé jusqu?à la 10 ème semaine de grossesse, n?avait  jamais connu de mouvement pro life,  dont jusqu?ici  les pays musulmans  étaient épargnés.  Mais  Recep Tayyip Erdogan, le chef du gouvernement vient  de  remédier à cette “anomalie” en lançant lui même le mouvement.

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Istanbul mayor responds to French name debate

from Hurriyet Daily News
Justice and Development Party (AKP) deputy Vahit Kiler has launched a campaign to change the name of Pierre Loti Hill in Istanbul?s Eyüp district to Bitlisli İdris.

Hagia Sophia Prayers Embarrassed Some People, But Not Atatürk

from The Istanbulian by Emre Kızılkaya

Thousands of Muslims prayed outside Istanbul’s historic Hagia Sophia museum today to protest a 1934 law that bars religious services there. “Break the chains, let Hagia Sophia Mosque open,” and “God is great”, they shouted.

Thousands pray for Istanbul landmark to become mosque | Reuters

Abortion sparks raging debate in Turkey

from Hurriyet Daily News
Turkish Prime Minister?s recents comments condemning abortion and ceaserian birth spark debate..

Can Bonomo (C) of Turkey performs his song “Love Me Back” during the Grand Final of the Eurovision song contest in Baku, May 27, 2012. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Violence rate high among Turkish students, study reveals

from Hurriyet Daily News
Six out of every ten high school students in Turkey are exposed to violence daily, according to the most comprehensive study ever conducted on the issue by academics from Ankara University?s Faculty of Education.

Marriage courses on the way, Turkish minister says

from Hurriyet Daily News
Premarital courses are planned to strengthen the institution of marriage because the divorce rate is rapidly increasing in Turkey, Family and Social Policies Minister Fatma Şahin said yesterday

?No gender equality in Turkish academia?

from Hurriyet Daily News
The number of female academics working in higher positions in Turkish universities is few, despite the larger number of female academics

Why Turks Don?t Speak English

from Kamil Pasha by Jenny White
I know the major news story in Turkey is the continued explosions and attacks across the country, presumably by the PKK, but those stories are all over the news, so I won?t repeat them here. I found the following opinion piece by Güven Sak in Hurriyet interesting about why it is that, despite Turkey?s openness to the world and global commercial activities, English proficiency is lacking, especially in the younger generation. The author suggests a structural explanation (elimination of English in the curriculum), commenters mention a lack of interest and the desire for a quick fix rather than the effort required to learn a foreign language properly.

Turkey: Public Theaters in the Crosshairs of Culture War

from EurasiaNet.org – Turkey

Copyright show:

No

Turkey?s government is embroiled in a bitter dispute with secular-minded actors over freedom of expression in public theaters. Officials insist they respect the concept of artistic freedom, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has publicly derided stage actors as ?Jacobins? who undermine traditional Turkish values.

Two draft plans on agenda for theaters

from Hurriyet Daily News
Two separate draft laws have been prepared regarding State Theaters, one of the controversial issues on the agenda recently following Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan?s announcement.

May 19 kicks off amid controversy

from Hurriyet Daily News

Authorities have denied a number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and opposition politicians permission to stage such ceremonies on the anniversary of May 19.

Teens jobless as Youth Day marked amid controversy

from Hurriyet Daily News

Unemployment rate between age of 15 and 24 in Turkey was 18.4 percent, the Turkish Statistical data shows.