“Men shall take full care of women with the bounties which God has bestowed more abundantly on the former than on the latter, and with what they may spend out of their possessions. And the righteous women are the truly devout ones, who guard the intimacy which God has guarded. And as for those women whose ill-will you have reason to fear, admonish them; then leave them alone in bed; then beat them…” (Koran 4:34)
Of course, that’s taken wildly out of context. Every last Muslim in the world, especially in modern, moderate, secular Turkey, knows that that verse is not to be taken literally.
“Turkey: 42% Pct Of Women Targets Of Violence, Survey,” from ANSAmed, November 24 (thanks to Insubria):
(ANSAmed) – ANKARA, NOVEMBER 24 – Forty-two percent of women in Turkey become targets of physical or sexual violence, a staggering statistic which along with others will be the focus of events held on the occasion of tomorrow’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. As Today’s Zaman reports quoting data by the Directorate general on status of women, one of every four married women who are targets of violence is injured to the point of requiring medical attention. One of every three women who face violence from a husband or boyfriend attempts suicide. One in every five women, married and single, face violence from their relatives or peeple [sic] at school or the workplace. In recent years, some changes to the country’s human rights laws have been made as Turkey inches along it its bid to join the European Union, but for many women who for various reasons end up in custody or behind bars, the situation is desperate. In the past 12 years, 74 women have been raped while in custody, and with allegations that have not yet been proved, this number climbs to over 300. In the past year only 15 women have complained of sexual abuse while in custody. There have been positive developments in recent years regarding this topic with sexual abuse gaining legal status as a crime, the range of the laws on rape being expanded and the sentencing deductions for “honor” killings and killings as part of tribal feuds abolished. (ANSAmed).