The Enlightenment Movement Against Reaction released a statement regarding Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) recently intensified sharia-oriented attempts.
Indicating to the government’s religious impositions, the Enlightenment Movement said: "Following a governor who said 'Allahu Akbar' while taking the office with a religious ceremony, the notion of jihad was included in educational curriculum from which the notion of evolution was excluded. And now, a draft law was introduced to the parliament to entitle the muftis to register civil marriages. It is apparent that the AKP, an anti-science, anti-humanity and anti-Enlightenment party, is attempting to turn Turkey into a state of sharia."
'SHARIA-ORIENTED DRAFT LAW MUST BE WITHDRAWN'
The Enlightenment Movement portrayed the entitlement of clerics to register civil marriages as a multidimensional attack on secularism and humanity. The statement made it clear that such an authority would designate the women’s basic rights of divorce, guardianship, inheritance and marital property in accordance with the sharia rules.
Setting forth that the authority ascribed by the AKP government to the muftis (religious civil servants) is to legalize the sharia laws, the Enlightenment Movement’s statement continued: “Following this authority, the number of child marriages will increase, monogamy will be encouraged, and the rapes and sexual assaults can be covered.”
Demanding that the recent motion of AKP be withdrawn immediately, the statement was concluded: “The Enlightenment Movement will enhance its struggle against the reactionary forces that attempt to rule the country with sharia. We call our people not to surrender to this gang of bigots, and to stand against sharia.”
Meanwhile, İstanbul Bar Association also released a statement, stating that the government’s motion to entitle religious officials to register civil marriages is to lead to a havoc of double standards in law. The Bar underlined that the Constitutional revolutionary laws of the Republic could not be amended, which, otherwise, would lead to the abolition of the Republican qualities.
