A COMMENT ON ACID ATTACKS

It is hard for a technology disturbed one like me to keep a blog. I recieved a comment but I couldn't manage to publish it (I hope to learn in time:)

A lady from Australia reading the acid attacks to young women writes;

"I am shocked that young men could feel that they had a right to harm girls because of the length of their skirts. Usually young men have other things to do rather than be vigilantes for such a cause. Is there large unemployment in this area? I realise there must be a growth in religious fundamentalism - and suppose there is also some economic aspect to it. My heart goes out to the young girls and to all other girls in that area who, for their own safety, will feel like covering up, no matter how hot it is etc.

I am glad you are letting the world know about these things. AND, of course, I love the poems you found. Kathy (Australia)"

Thanks to Kathy for her comment. She is right that the young men should have other things to do. This particular young man came out; not jobless but working in a factory, married and have a pregnant wife who will give birth in a few days and not from a very religious family.

But unfortunatelly there is really a great unemployment in the country. Turkiye has a very young population. 30 percent of 70.5 million population is under the age of 15 and half of the total is under 28. Education is compulsory and free from ages 6 to 15. The literacy rate is 95.3% for men and 79.6% for women, with an overall average of 87.4%. This low figure is mainly due to prevailing feudal attitudes against women in the east and southeastern provinces of the country. Total workforce is nearly 30 million while unemployment is around 10 %. The official unemployment rate conceals the fact that unemployment is up to 70.0% in some rural areas. And 20 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.

Growth in religious fundementalism certainly have an economic aspect as Kathy comments, but it is hard take only general indicators as economics, income, education etc for the rise of such unacceptable events. International politics have a very important role on the current situation of Turkey. Althought the tariquats always had a strong but unseen role in politics, radical Islamic groups of Middle East never managed to make base in the country. Begining with the last decades of Ottomans and raising on the strong secular construction of the Republic, any individual events like these or any kind of religious revolts could never get support in this society.

It is hard to analyze what is going on in our society now but one thing is sure; it is a part of the Cold War years' "Green Crescedent", today's "New Middle East Project" or "moderate Islam model" of world's super power.

Some young women who wear latest fashion, silk turbans, who has lots of make-up on their open faces in headscarfs can easily say they are "not secular", they prefer "sheria" on TVs today. It is impossible to understand how can not they realize that they owe even voicing these views to the democracy, secularism in this country.

Dear Kathy, you say; "My heart goes out to the young girls and to all other girls in that area who, for their own safety, will feel like covering up, no matter how hot it is etc."

How easy to make this comment for any healthy mind. We already have a name for it; "neighborhood pressure". It will happen. Ill minds will begin to measure women's belief, honour, goodname with the pieces of cloths they wear on their heads or bodies.

We will see... but we will not sit and watch...

Thanks