Laughing In Public And Devoutness In Turkey

Religion is playing a huge role in the election campaign of the first direct ballot for the Turkish president. Both main parties are campaigning by using their Islamic devoutness to gain votes.

Less than two weeks before the Turkish presidential election on August 10, the attempt of one of Erdogan's closest confidantes to strengthen Islamic values in Turkish society has caused an uproar around the globe.



Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arinc had complained about a moral decline in Turkey and suggested that as a remedy for Islamic morality, women, amongst others, should always appear demure and not laugh out loud in public. Anti-government protesters subsequently organized a public 'laugh-demonstation' in the eastern Turkish city of Tunceli. Opposition politician Umut Oran also criticized Arinc for his portrayal of the government's visions for the 21st century.



Thousands of Turkish women also turned to social media in opposition to the Deputy Prime Minister's comments. Using the hashtag #direnkahkaha, meaning "Resistance hahaha," more than 300,000 photos of smiling and laughing women have been posted on Instagram and Twitter.







Both men and women from around the world joined in the backlash against Arinc, encouraging women everywhere to stand up against surpression.







As the hot favourite in the election, Erdogan immediately made his mark at the official start of his candidacy at the beginning of July. He began his first speech as a candidate for the ruling AKP party with a message from God and ended with a "e from the Quran.



Two in three voters describe themselves as devout



For more than a decade Erdogan and the AKP have relied on the support of conservative religious Turks. During the election campaign, Erdogan emphasized Islamic issues even more than usual. Speaking with