The head of the Turkish Red Crescent branch in Kayseri province sparked a backlash after sharing a video urging President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to keep women out of the workforce and establish Sharia law in Turkey, the T24 news website reported.
Cafer Beydilli, who leads the organization’s Kayseri branch, shared the video on his social media account on Friday. The video, titled “Let the girls stay home, please, Reis” claimed that women had become “masculinized” through participation in professional and social life and portrayed gender equality as a form of social deterioration.
“Reis,” meaning “chief,” is a term commonly used for President Erdoğan by his supporters.
Beydilli later deleted his post and issued a written statement claiming it had been shared mistakenly. He subsequently held a press conference and apologized.
Opposition politicians and women’s rights groups criticized Beydilli over the post. Aşkın Genç, a Kayseri lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), called for his removal from the position.
The İzmir Lawyers Movement (İZAH) filed a criminal complaint against Beydilli on accusations of “inciting hatred and hostility among the public” and “hate and discrimination.” The complaint said the post targeted women’s right to work, denigrated gender equality, encouraged the exclusion of women from social life and fueled gender-based discrimination.
The We Will Stop Femicide Platform also condemned the video, describing it as “a new example of the oppressive mindset targeting women’s lives in the country.”
The Women for Equality Platform (EŞİK) also issued a statement condemning the post, saying it was unacceptable to target women’s constitutional rights to education and employment. The group said women’s economic independence was one of the strongest protections against violence.
According to labor force statistics published by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the employment rate stands at 32.1 percent among women compared to 66.2 percent among men.
