IS THE STATE A MRS GRUNDY?
By Yusuf KANLI, yusufkanli@gmail.com

Turkish Press
9/29/2008
MI

Apart from anything else — including proving the oddity of having
a legislation like the contentious Article 301 of the Penal Code
regulating crimes against "insults to Turkishness" — a complaint
in Sept. 2006 by an officious prosecutor against novelist Elif
Safak on the assumption that in her novel "The Bastard of Istanbul"
one of the characters "insulted Turkishness" in a conversation with
another character of the fiction, during which there was a reference
to the massacre of Armenians in the first quarter of last century in
eastern Anatolia, was an exemplary case regarding the "freedom of
expression" understanding at least in some sections of the Turkish
state, particularly the conservative establishment.

Primitive mindset in action

Nowadays we are seeing examples of a similar and indeed equally
primitive mindset in action in the country. On the one hand, some
officious local municipal police are randomly ambushing groceries
selling alcohol in the evening hours, beating up grocers … Some
districts of cities are being declared "alcohol free" by some
equally officious local administrators and the municipal police and
conservative collaborators are beating up people in the streets just
because they "defy" the ban … On the other hand, as if this is not a
predominantly Muslim nation and as if there is no need to respect the
feelings of practicing Muslims, some people are demonstrating during
the holy month of Ramadan – as was done in Istanbul’s Moda district –
chanting "We want our right to drink [alcoholic products] back …" and
thus provoking people. Can’t they wait another few days and stage that
demonstration after Ramadan? They could, but the aim was different.

Of course we must all be concerned with the advance of conservatism in
our society – which unfortunately is a global phenomenon – but at the
same time must learn to respect the values and norms of the society
and try not to hurt the feelings of others while trying to advance our
own demands. Otherwise, as if such attacks and unacceptable pressures
of the conservative elements don’t happen at other times of the year,
an image is created that conservative Turks were being provoked by
some other Turks who have adopted a liberal lifestyle.

While no one should act like Mrs. Grundy or something like the
Iranian or Saudi religious police of the neighborhood, the state as
well must take measures to prevent such odd developments and make
sure that neither practicing religion in the Sunni Hanefi style is an
obligation in this country, nor should practicing people be provoked
into illegal and barbaric "exceptional" outbursts investigated by
western embassies whether they were examples of manifestation of some
hidden agenda of the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP,
government and its local administrators.

The state, as well, must learn not to act like Mrs. Grundy or something
like the Iranian or Saudi religious police of the neighborhood… The
government cannot become a Mrs. Grundy; advising people how many
kids they should have, what moral values they should adhere to,
or what they should read or watch.

An interesting article

Many people might not be aware, but there is a ministry in Turkey
in charge of family and children affairs. That’s of course a good
thing. In a country where women are victims of domestic violence,
treated in many rural parts as having a status little higher than
animals, deprived of education and other basic rights despite all the
campaigns and with our streets full of street kids exploited by gangs,
it is good that we have a ministry responsible for women and kids.

That ministry has a quarterly published magazine. In the latest edition
of that magazine, there is an article related to the "risks" posed
to the family. The article complains that many of the soap operas
broadcast on the many TV screens of the country were every night
portraying divorce, extra-marital affairs, relationships of women
with many men – though separately – or gay relations as a normal
things and thus "risking" the established values and norms in the
society … The article asks TV administrators and producers to care
more about the values of the society and moral norms.

Thank God, this is just an article, though in the official quarterly
of the ministry in charge of family affairs. It has not yet become
a government order…