Merve Kavakci
Encyclopedia
Merve Safa Kavakçı was a Turkish
politician, who was elected as a Virtue Party
deputy for Istanbul
on April 18, 1999. On May 2, she was prevented from making her parliamentary oath
because of her hijab
, which is banned for civil servants in secular Turkey
. She was eventually stripped of her Turkish citizenship
, on the grounds that she had not disclosed her United States citizenship (which she obtained on March 5, 1999).
Since then, Kavakçı has been an outspoken critic of Turkey's secularization policy, traveling the globe in support of Muslim women's rights, especially to the hijab. Kavakçı promotes the hijab as a symbol of female empowerment, and she is quick to remind critics that tradition of the hijab is both religious and cultural. In addition to lecturing at universities throughout Europe and the United States, Kavakçı addressed the 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona. From 2004-2005, she was a visiting professor and scholar at the George Washington University
in Washington, D.C.
In 2007 the European Court of Human Rights
found that Kavakçı's expulsion from parliament was a violation of human rights.
Kavakçı is a Hafiz-al Qur'an. She received her master's degree from Harvard University
and her PhD from Howard University
. Kavakçı is currently a professor at George Washington University and Howard University in Washington D.C. She has two daughters, Fatima and Mariam.
Kavakci is a Lecturer of International Relations George Washington University. She was elected to the Turkish Parliament, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in 1999. However she was prevented from serving her term by the secularists because she wears a headscarf. Kavakci's political party was closed down and her Turkish citizenship was revoked, banning her from politics for a period of five years. She took her case to European Court of Human Rights and won in 2007.
A widely recognized international public figure, Kavakci addressed the British Parliament House of Lords, United Nations Commission on Human Rights, US Congress Helsinki Commission and Interparliamentary Union. She has lectured at myriad of American, European and Canadian Universities including Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Cambridge, Berlin, Milan, Insburg and Ottowa universities.
Kavakci is recognized among the World's Most Influential 500 Muslims. She was recognized among "Women of Excellence" by NAACP and GWU in 2004. She was awarded the Public Service Award in Tribute and in Recognition of efforts for the advancement of human rights and Muslim Women's empowerment by International Association for Women and Children in 2000. She was awarded Service to Humanity Award by Haus Der Kulturellen Aktivitat und Toleranz in Vienna, Austria in 1999. She was granted Mother of the Year Award by Capital Platform of Ankara and National Youth Organization in 1999.
Kavakci holds a Ph. D in political science from Howard University, an MPA from Harvard University and a BS in Software Engineering from University of Texas at Dallas. Prior to that Kavakci attended the Medical School of Ankara University however was not permitted to continue due to the headscarf ban.
Kavakci is a consultant for US Congress on the Muslim world and a columnist for Turkish daily Vakit newspaper. She sits at the Editorial Board of Mediterranean Quarterly. She is the author of six books and numerous articles.
Kavakci is the author of Basortusuz Demokrasi (Turkish) which has been translated to Arabic and Persian and also forthcoming in English and French. She is mother of two, Fatima and Mariam.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
politician, who was elected as a Virtue Party
Virtue Party
Virtue Party was an Islamist political party established in December 1998 in Turkey. It was found unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court and then banned in June 2001, for violating the secularist articles of the Constitution...
deputy for Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
on April 18, 1999. On May 2, she was prevented from making her parliamentary oath
Oath
An oath is either a statement of fact or a promise calling upon something or someone that the oath maker considers sacred, usually God, as a witness to the binding nature of the promise or the truth of the statement of fact. To swear is to take an oath, to make a solemn vow...
because of her hijab
Hijab
The word "hijab" or "'" refers to both the head covering traditionally worn by Muslim women and modest Muslim styles of dress in general....
, which is banned for civil servants in secular Turkey
Secularism in Turkey
Secularism in Turkey defines the relationship between religion and state in the country of Turkey. Secularism was first introduced with the 1928 amendment of the Constitution of 1924, which removed the provision declaring that the "Religion of the State is Islam", and with the later reforms of...
. She was eventually stripped of her Turkish citizenship
Turkish nationality law
Turkish nationality law is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis. Children who are born to a Turkish mother and a Turkish father in Turkey are Turkish citizens from birth....
, on the grounds that she had not disclosed her United States citizenship (which she obtained on March 5, 1999).
Since then, Kavakçı has been an outspoken critic of Turkey's secularization policy, traveling the globe in support of Muslim women's rights, especially to the hijab. Kavakçı promotes the hijab as a symbol of female empowerment, and she is quick to remind critics that tradition of the hijab is both religious and cultural. In addition to lecturing at universities throughout Europe and the United States, Kavakçı addressed the 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions in Barcelona. From 2004-2005, she was a visiting professor and scholar at the George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In 2007 the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
found that Kavakçı's expulsion from parliament was a violation of human rights.
Kavakçı is a Hafiz-al Qur'an. She received her master's degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and her PhD from Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
. Kavakçı is currently a professor at George Washington University and Howard University in Washington D.C. She has two daughters, Fatima and Mariam.
Kavakci is a Lecturer of International Relations George Washington University. She was elected to the Turkish Parliament, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in 1999. However she was prevented from serving her term by the secularists because she wears a headscarf. Kavakci's political party was closed down and her Turkish citizenship was revoked, banning her from politics for a period of five years. She took her case to European Court of Human Rights and won in 2007.
A widely recognized international public figure, Kavakci addressed the British Parliament House of Lords, United Nations Commission on Human Rights, US Congress Helsinki Commission and Interparliamentary Union. She has lectured at myriad of American, European and Canadian Universities including Harvard, Yale, Cornell, Cambridge, Berlin, Milan, Insburg and Ottowa universities.
Kavakci is recognized among the World's Most Influential 500 Muslims. She was recognized among "Women of Excellence" by NAACP and GWU in 2004. She was awarded the Public Service Award in Tribute and in Recognition of efforts for the advancement of human rights and Muslim Women's empowerment by International Association for Women and Children in 2000. She was awarded Service to Humanity Award by Haus Der Kulturellen Aktivitat und Toleranz in Vienna, Austria in 1999. She was granted Mother of the Year Award by Capital Platform of Ankara and National Youth Organization in 1999.
Kavakci holds a Ph. D in political science from Howard University, an MPA from Harvard University and a BS in Software Engineering from University of Texas at Dallas. Prior to that Kavakci attended the Medical School of Ankara University however was not permitted to continue due to the headscarf ban.
Kavakci is a consultant for US Congress on the Muslim world and a columnist for Turkish daily Vakit newspaper. She sits at the Editorial Board of Mediterranean Quarterly. She is the author of six books and numerous articles.
Kavakci is the author of Basortusuz Demokrasi (Turkish) which has been translated to Arabic and Persian and also forthcoming in English and French. She is mother of two, Fatima and Mariam.