Unlike its other Islamic neighbors, Turkey abolished Sharia law and became a secular nation in the 1920s. As a result, women in Türkiye enjoyed rights and freedoms that women in no other Muslim-majority country did not enjoy (Arat 870). The first president of the newly transformed country was called Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who wore Western-style clothes. Although Turkey was secular, it was not democratic, as one party ruled (Arat 870). In the 1950s things began to change again as Turkey moved to a multi-party system and Islamists began to campaign more loudly and publicly for the right to practice their faith in public (Arat 871). Turkey has attempted to move towards a two-party system. , a more European-style system, or as one article calls it “Blairism” in reference to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, starting in the 1990s (Coşar & Özman 234). But its history and predominant Islamic religious tradition are always present as a backdrop, exerting an influence that has waxed and waned over the years. Due to its history and religious background, Turkey, which stands literally, figuratively and philosophically, as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, has a kind of dual personality. Notably, unlike many of its European neighbors, women's voices face more difficulty being heard amid the political cacophony. Turkey sits in a unique position straddling the West and the Middle East, and its cultural pendulum has swung wildly between the two disparate cultures. At any given time, a significant number of women in Turkey feel as if their rights are being curtailed, whether the country is in a more secular or Islamic phase. As detailed in the articles reviewed, when Turkey is se......middle of paper......other nations with two very divergent cultural traditions in recent years. The gap between the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States or even the different worldviews of evangelical Christians compared to those who practice traditional religion or even no religion in the United States seem much smaller when compared to the diversity between the two cultures politically dominant in Turkey .Works citedArat, Yesim. “Religion, politics and gender equality in Türkiye: implications of a democratic paradox?” Third World Quarterly 31.6 (2010): 869-884. Press.Turam, Bern. “Turkish women divided by politics”. International Feminist Journal of Politics 10.4 (2008): 475-494. Print.Coşar, Simten and Aylin Özman. "Problems of representation of social democracy in Türkiye". Journal of Third World Studies 25.1 (2008): 233-252. SocINDEX with full text. Network. November 14. 2011.