He did it again. In a move bound to intensify the debate on the growing polarization at home, Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan once more stands as the architect of a fresh controversy, stirring fear and anger among the secular, urban parts of the country, also gambling for possible divisions within the conservative majority.
It was the daily Zaman that broke the story. At a closed party meeting near Ankara over the weekend, Erdogan, the paper reported, directed a harsh critique on mixed-gender university student cohabitation in cities.
He gave the example of Denizli, a city in west Anatolia. “Insufficient dormitories create many problems. Female and male university students are staying in the same residence without being supervised. It is against our conservative-democratic line. I gave instructions to the governor on the issue. They will in some way be inspected,” he was quoted as saying.
These words were enough to unleash a storm in the public debate, especially in social media. As the discussions intensified, some of the Justice and Development's (AKP) lead figures tried to extinguish the fire — an exercise that has now become part of the AKP government's routine regarding Erdogan's statements — both at home and abroad.
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