Turkish first lady praises harem as ‘school for women’

[Sally]

I don't think she would have enjoyed being locked away in a harem with several eunuchs keeping an eye on the women.


Turkish first lady praises harem as ‘school for women’


Emine Erdoğan makes comment after her husband caused thousands to demonstrate against his government on International Women’s Day




Women with a sign saying ‘Stop men’s and state violence’ during an International Women’s Day march in Istanbul. Photograph: Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images
Agence France-Presse

Wednesday 9 March 201614.51 ESTLast modified on Wednesday 9 March 201617.01 EST

The wife of the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, has hailed the harem of the Ottoman sultans as “a school for preparing women for life”.

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: 'A woman is above all else a mother'

Read more
Emine Erdoğan’s comments were made a day after the president caused protests by saying he believed that “a woman is above all a mother” in a speech marking International Women’s Day. Critics have accused Erdoğan’s government of trying to impose strict Islamic values on Turkey and curtailing women’s civil liberties.

“The harem was a school for members of the Ottoman dynasty and an educational establishment for preparing women for life,” Emine Erdoğan said at an official event on the Ottoman sultans in Ankara, according to Turkish TV stations.



Turkey's first lady praises Ottoman harem - BBC News