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 Laicism: One of the basic principles of the Turkish Republic is laicism. Turkey is the only Islamic country which has enshrined laicism in its Constitution and put it into practice. Important steps were taken on March 3, 1924, on the path to laicism during the Republican era such as the abolition of the Caliphate, the Ministry of Shariah (Islamic Law) and Foundations, and later on with unification in education and justice. Further steps taken in later years include the Hat Reform, the closure of dervish lodges and retreats, the changing of the weekly holiday from Friday to Sunday, and the adoption of the Latin script and the Gregorian calendar. Finally an amendment passed on February 5, 1937, made “laicism” a constitutional principle. |
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Presidency of Religious Affairs: All services related to the beliefs, worship and ethics of Islam as well as the activities of informing and enlightening the public regarding religious matters in Turkey are conducted by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (PRA), a public institution organized under a central administration. The Presidency was established as an agency attached to the Prime Minister’s Office on March 3, 1924. This agency, employing a total of 80,211 people at home and abroad, seeks to help without discrimination all Muslim citizens fulfill their religious obligations through its central and provincial offices as well as its bureaus abroad. |
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Taking social conditions and demands into consideration, the PRA organizes national and international meetings in order to develop its existing services and enlighten society with sound religious knowledge in accordance with the fundamental sources of Islam and the basic requirements of modern science and reason. |
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Women and Society |
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| Efforts to establish gender equality in Turkey date back to the 19th century, but they had limited success as far as the social life of the women was concerned. However, radical reforms launched under Atatürk’s leadership during the first ten years of the Turkish Republic restructured the Turkish society that underwent a huge transformation. These reforms were also instrumental in recognition of women as citizens with equal rights. The Unification of the education Law of 1924 which centralized the education under a single system, the adoption of the Civic Law and the Turkish Penal Code in 1926 and granting of suffrage and the right to be elected to the parliament in 1934, much before than many nations of the world, had been the most important achievements of women during the early years of the Republic. |
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| Directorate General for the Status of Women: Initiatives to abolish gender inequality in Turkey have increasingly intensified and the status of women in society has been steadily improving. New legislations have created the legal framework which would further improve gender equality. Thus, the Directorate General for the Status of Women was set up in Turkey in 1990 as a national mechanism on gender equality. As a coordinating agency, this Directorate General works to prevent all sorts of indiscrimination against women; to improve women’s rights; |
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Atatürk unified and centralized the education system in 1924. |
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