Amid all the political turmoil in Turkey, there is some good news on women’s rights. For the first time in the Turkish Republic's history, a woman has been appointed deputy head of the country’s top religious body, the Directorate of Religious Affairs, or Diyanet. It is the highest office in the directorate ever held by a woman since the institution’s founding in 1924.

The appointment of Huriye Marti, a professor at Necmettin Erbakan University, became official March 13. She had previously edited and wrote at the directorate’s Hadith Project. In 2011, she headed Diyanet's Family and Religious Guidance Department. Among her writings is “The Traces of the Negative Image of Women in Fake Hadiths.”

At a March 11 press briefing in Ankara, Diyanet President Ali Erbas said that more female officials will be employed “as soon as possible” across Turkey. There are currently seven women serving as department heads at the directorate's headquarters. Marti’s appointment comes during a somewhat distressing period, amid controversial remarks on the role of women in society, including justifications for violence against them.

Of particular note, Nureddin Yildiz, head of the Social Fabric Foundation, said in a video online, “Women should be grateful to God, because God allowed men to beat women and remain relaxed.” Prior to that, he had greatly offended large segments of the public by suggesting that children as young as six could marry other children or adults and that women and men should not take the same elevators.