TURKISH WOMEN IN ISLAMISM: GENDER AND THE MIRAGE OF “ISLAMIC FEMINISM”

Abstract

In this paper, I reflect on the use of the term “Islamic feminism” in Turkey from the 1990s to the present. I discuss how Turkey’s Islamic feminists who were once the victims and strong critics of secular authoritarianism have now become advocates of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s populist Islamist authoritarianism which has severely restricted rights and freedoms in the country. I claim that using the term “Islamic feminist” in reference to the Islamist women supporters of Erdoğan is misleading as it puts a progressive spin on their ideas and activism. I argue that the terms “conservative” or “right-wing” more accurately describe the political positioning of these women.