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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Turkish Villagers Boycott Imam Who Advocates Chadors and Seclusion |
| 2004-05-08 |
| Turkish villagers have boycotted an imam who accused women of indecency simply for travelling on the same buses as men. Since being appointed to the mosque in the village of Kotanduzu a year ago, Mustafa Platin has also ordered women to don full chadors and instructed their husbands to force them to remain indoors if they refused to comply. The imam’s behaviour sparked a near-unprecedented rebellion. Villagers in the community perched high on a plateau in eastern Turkey have demanded his sacking and promised to boycott daily worship in the local mosque until a replacement imam is found. Leyla Karsli, a 35-year-old mother of six, makes an unlikely temptress. She is shrouded in a headscarf concealing her mouth and buried in a shapeless, ankle-length gown. She was none the less a target for the imam. "He even wanted these ones to cover their heads," said Mrs Karsli, pulling her six-year-old twin daughters close to her. The imam’s superiors in Erzurum, the provincial capital, have ordered the cleric to undergo a series of medical examinations to shield him from prosecution. |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #5 this is good - though i would of rather of seen it in another muslim country that does not have decades history of securlism in society... |
| Posted by: Dan 2004-05-08 11:07:35 AM |
| #4 Actually this is a little good news for Turkey. Free market islam? |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-05-08 6:59:29 AM |
| #3 "...medical examinations..." Stealing (IIRC) Yogi Berra's line - "X-rays of his head showed nothing." |
| Posted by: PBMcL 2004-05-08 1:36:21 AM |
| #2 What? Don't they have segregated buses?!!??!! Barbarians! Infidels! In Saudi Arabia, the correct model for Islamic Society, all of the buses have a front section for "Single Men" and a back section for "Families" - just as they do in restaurants which also have separate entrances, as do their moskkks. Imam Platin should be commended, not berated. It's tough being such a Holy Man out in the backwaters of Islam. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-05-08 1:33:49 AM |
| #1 A series of MEDICAL examinations. Do we really want to go there? |
| Posted by: BigEd 2004-05-08 1:16:15 AM |