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Erdogan rejects women's equality

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan captures headlines again by stressing that the Islamic perception of creation doesn’t consider men and women to be equal.
Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan addresses the media during a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Ankara December 1, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4GAVY

Addressing the First International Summit on Women and Justice held in Istanbul on Nov. 24, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Islamic perception of the creation does not consider men and women as being equal, although they should be treated equally under the law. “We observe that women’s struggle for their rights got stuck in their fight for equality while missing the sense of justice,” Erdogan said. “What is it that women need?”

He added, “What is right is to establish equality among women. What is right is to have equality among men. You cannot put women into men’s work like the communist regimes did in the past. … That would go against women’s delicate bodies.”

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