CHP: Headscarf Not A Problem for Us

Although she wore a headscarf, it was never a problem for her to be a part of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, or CHP, the deputy chairwoman of the party’s Istanbul Women’s Branch has said.

Deputy Chairwoman Nuray Çepni raised her voice during a meeting organized by the female deputy candidates of the CHP, including the Secretary-General Bihlun Tamaylıgil, Gülsün Bilgehan and Gülseren Onanç, when they came together with journalists, academics and member of NGOs at a meeting where CHP policies on women were discussed.

“The CHP does not have a problem with headscarves. If it was a problem, I wouldn’t be able to come to a high position in my political life in the CHP,” Çepni told the Hürriyet Daily News after the meeting on Wednesday.

Çepni became a member of the CHP three-and-a-half years ago. First she was the head of the women’s branch in the Tuzla district and then she became the deputy chairwoman of the Istanbul Women’s Branch two months ago.

“I have many people in my family who have supported the CHP for a long time, some of my siblings and my uncles have been supporters of the CHP, and I myself also wanted to make a contribution to Atatürk’s party,” said Çepni.

“Before becoming a member, I also had some prejudices about how they would treat a woman who wears a headscarf in the CHP. But after joining, I realized that the CHP is not what it looks like from the outside. I never faced any negative attitude because of my headscarf,” Çepni said, adding that she found the transformation of the CHP in the last year quite positive.

Meanwhile, female deputy candidates from the CHP said the CHP has changed and they are running their election campaigns at homes face to face with women, talking about issues ranging from domestic violence to economic aid to women’s rights.

Self-criticism of CHP women

Female deputy candidates from the CHP criticized themselves on Wednesday, confessing that it was wrong not to communicate face to face especially with women from low-income backgrounds in their homes.

“In the past we made a mistake and we accept this, however CHP is not only on the streets, we are also in the homes now. Many things have changed in the last one year,” said Bilgehan, a CHP deputy candidate from Istanbul. “Our main concern is to help women achieve some sort of economic independence. We are talking about their concerns on poverty, economy and social aid,” said Bilgehan.

“Another issue that women are interested in is when we talk about domestic violence,” said Bilgehan. “We used to not mention this problem before, but now we are talking about it openly and women tend to listen to us very carefully.”

Another deputy candidate, Onanç, said none of the CHP members has any prejudice toward headscarves. “What is important here is solidarity a among women and to help more women achieve economic independence. The CHP does not have an elitist approach toward women,” said Onanç.

May 18, 2011

SOURCE: Hürriyet Daily News