Speaking in a meeting on “women and democracy”, before International Working Women's Day, March 8, President Erdoğan stated “According to our religion and Anatolian culture, women have an exceptional place. I don’t say women are equal to men, they are beyond”.
“If there is violence against women, no one can blame our religion, our culture or our civilisation for this. A mistake of some psychopaths cannot represent us or our religion and tradition” he said.
These comments were Erdoğan’s latest controversial remarks about women. Last year, he sparked outrage after declaring childless women to be “incomplete”, urging them to have at least three children. He also called Muslim families to reject birth control and claimed that it was the responsibility of mothers to ensure the continued growth of country’s population.
