Hidayet Şefkatli Tuksal (born 1963) is a Turkish human rights activist,

Islamic feminist Islamic feminism is a form of feminism concerned with the role of women in Islam. It aims for the full equality of all Muslims, regardless of gender, in public and private life. Islamic feminists advocate women's rights, gender equality, and soci ...

and columnist. She lectures in theology at

Mardin Artuklu University Mardin Artuklu University (MAU) is a university located in Mardin, Turkey. It was established in 2007. Language programs In 2009, the university was allowed to open a Kurdish language Kurdish (, ) is a language or a group of languages spo ...

Biography

Hidayet Şefkatli Tuksal was born in 1963 in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

to a Muslim family from the

Balkans The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. In 1980 she enrolled in the theology faculty of

Ankara University Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923. The university has 40 vocat ...

. She joined a religious order during her time there and started

veiling A veil is an article of clothing or hanging cloth that is intended to cover some part of the head or face, or an object of some significance. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies. The practice has been prominent i ...

. She received a PhD in Islamic theology from there. In 1994, Tuksal co-founded the Capital Women's Platform (''Baskent Kadin Platform''). The Platform challenged the religious basis of sexism and brought attention to the discrimination and injustice experienced by religious women in secular settings. Tuksal undertook postgraduate studies in philosophy at

Middle East Technical University Middle East Technical University (commonly referred to as METU; in Turkish language, Turkish, ''Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi'', ODTÜ) is a public university, public Institute of technology, technical university located in Ankara, Turkey. The ...

. After experiencing obstructions and attacks due to her headscarf, she was forced to abandon the university. She opened a clothing store with her sisters and mother after she was unable to find a job she enjoyed. Tuksal taught at an

İmam Hatip school In Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in West ...

for a time before enrolling in a doctoral program. Following the 1997 postmodern coup and

February 28 process The 1997 military memorandum ( tr, 28 Şubat, "28 February"; also called ''Post-modern darbe'', "Post-modern coup") in Turkey refers to the decisions issued by the Turkish military leadership on a National Security Council (Turkey), National Se ...

, headscarves were banned in Turkish educational institutions. Tuksal identified this as a women's issue, and related that women who wear headscarves were most adversely affected by the process. She noted that even some conservative Muslim and Islamist men did not consider women wearing headscarves in Islamist institutions to be presentable due to the prevalent

Kemalist Kemalism ( tr, Kemalizm, also archaically ''Kamâlizm''), also known as Atatürkism ( tr, Atatürkçülük, Atatürkçü düşünce), or The Six Arrows ( tr, Altı Ok), is the founding official ideology of the Republic of Turkey.Eric J. Zurcher ...

discourse. Tuksal identifies as a religious feminist. She has studied religious texts and challenged Islamist ideas that lead to the marginalization of women. She authored an academic study of gender bias in ''

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...

'' in 2001. She has called for the resolution of contradictory assertions about the rights of women in the ''hadiths''. Tuksal also wrote a history of Turkey's Islamist women's movement. She has noted the divide between Islamic and secular feminists in Turkey. Beginning in 2012, Tuksal was a columnist for the newspaper ''

Taraf ''Taraf'' ("Side" in Turkish) was a liberal newspaper in Turkey. It had distinguished itself by opposing interference by the Turkish military in the country's social and political affairs. It was distributed nationwide, and had been in circulati ...

''. Tuksal is married and has three children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuksal, Hidayet Sefkatli 1963 births Living people Ankara University alumni Proponents of Islamic feminism Middle East Technical University alumni Turkish feminists Turkish theologians Turkish women's rights activists Turkish women writers Turkish non-fiction writers Women scholars of Islam