The imam of Fatih Sultan Mehmet Mosque in Istanbul Hasan Hakyemez told his congregation not to allow their wives to work, in his Friday sermon at the end of December. Imam Hakyemez said, “Working women cheat their husbands”. When his words were published in the local newspaper, the regional mufti demanded a written explanation from the imam.
AKP MP Zafer Uskul – formerly from CHP – said that the imam’s words were unacceptable and an insult to all working women, including Uskul’s own wife who has been working for 40 years. He said that it is outrageous for a civil servant to make such statements when efforts are made for all girls in Turkey to go to school and women are encouraged to join the work force. Uskul demanded from the mufti for the imam to be removed.
Source: Cumhuriyet, Turkey, January 4, 2008
