No sexual freedom in Turkey
Wednesday 2 December
In August 2008, 26-year-old Ahmet Yildiz was killed by his father who had never accepted his son’s homosexuality.
Ahmet Yildiz came from a deeply religious patriarchal tribal family who couldn’t stand the idea that his sexuality betrayed religious customs and had become dishonour for his family. Ahmet decided to assume his homosexuality although his father often tried to threaten him. He wanted his son to come back to the family village to be treated by a doctor and an imam.
It was the first time that a gay honor killing was mediatized. This case pushed Turkey to face the opposition between conservative Islam and a more modern secular Turkey.
A UN report estimated that there were 5,000 honor killings per year in Turkey, mainly of them involving women who had sexual relations outside marriage. Before this event, honor killings remained underground because it was a subject to be avoided.
Ahmet’s neighbour, who had been shot during the attack, was the only person who accepted to testify, although the police tried to talk her out of it. The police said that homosexuality is a more important crime than murder. Mrs Darama disagreed. She said that murder is a major sin and Allah is the only one to decide who has to live or die. According to her, “Ahmet was a nice, gentle boy and he didn’t deserve to die.”
But Turkish people have different opinions on sexual freedom: gay clubs and gay bars have proliferated in big cities like Istanbul.But many others admit that if their son was gay, they wouldn’t disown him.
Although traditionalists still oppose sexual freedom, the fact that Turkey is seeking to join the European Union obliged them to accept and even promote civil liberties for women and homosexuals.
Ségolène
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/world/europe/26turkey.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&sq=Turkey%20country&st=cse&scp=1
In August 2008, 26-year-old Ahmet Yildiz was killed by his father who had never accepted his son’s homosexuality.
Ahmet Yildiz came from a deeply religious patriarchal tribal family who couldn’t stand the idea that his sexuality betrayed religious customs and had become dishonour for his family. Ahmet decided to assume his homosexuality although his father often tried to threaten him. He wanted his son to come back to the family village to be treated by a doctor and an imam.
It was the first time that a gay honor killing was mediatized. This case pushed Turkey to face the opposition between conservative Islam and a more modern secular Turkey.
A UN report estimated that there were 5,000 honor killings per year in Turkey, mainly of them involving women who had sexual relations outside marriage. Before this event, honor killings remained underground because it was a subject to be avoided.
Ahmet’s neighbour, who had been shot during the attack, was the only person who accepted to testify, although the police tried to talk her out of it. The police said that homosexuality is a more important crime than murder. Mrs Darama disagreed. She said that murder is a major sin and Allah is the only one to decide who has to live or die. According to her, “Ahmet was a nice, gentle boy and he didn’t deserve to die.”
But Turkish people have different opinions on sexual freedom: gay clubs and gay bars have proliferated in big cities like Istanbul.But many others admit that if their son was gay, they wouldn’t disown him.
Although traditionalists still oppose sexual freedom, the fact that Turkey is seeking to join the European Union obliged them to accept and even promote civil liberties for women and homosexuals.
Ségolène
New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/world/europe/26turkey.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&sq=Turkey%20country&st=cse&scp=1
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