Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Turkish challenges 2013

I received this message from a Turkish friend on my facebook and I felt it was important to share.......

"Just so everyone knows: Once again, our faith in justice in Turkey is torn apart. This country is the hardest place to live for a person who thinks and therefore exists. You need to be a non-existing, obedient creature to keep breathing in the fresh air. You could make it out of the prison if you killed someone or raped a child, but you cannot if you somehow showed your dissatisfaction in the government. Hopes and prayers go our to those who will have to spend the rest of their lives in prison while their beloved ones wait and weep for years."  Ipek Altan's

My heart goes out to my Turkish friends as they battle cultural oppression that they had been freed from many years ago when Ataturk ruled from 1923-1938.  His rule leaped Turkey forward into westernization of Turkey and forbid religious oppression.  Women were free to have equal schooling.  the old religious uniform of covering was released and if women chose to do it by choice that was clearly their CHOICE.   I have spent time living in very provincial and fundamentalist villages in Turkey and if you would like an up close an in depth emotionally honest experience of what it's like to be an empowered American woman to have to shrink to fit a fundamentalist village life then take an arm chair (and much safer) journey in my book  "Diary of a Turkish Wedding" 

 buy the book http://www.sunniboehme.com/books.html

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