Turkey (MNN) — Turkey has exited the Istanbul Convention, which seeks to protect women from violence. In response, thousands protested across the country last week. Groups of women chanted, “We will not be silenced,” and “We will not fear.”
Turkey claims to have its own plan to hinder violence against women. But Denise Godwin of International Media Ministries says, “Female killings, either in family settings or because of shame or various things, haven’t decreased in Turkey; they’ve increased. Show me your actions, not your words.”
The way of Jesus
Many in Turkey’s leadership want to enshrine a strict version of Islam in the country’s laws. But Godwin says Jesus taught His followers a different way to treat women. “The incredible thing is the seven churches of Revelation and many of the places mentioned in the New Testament are actually places in Turkey. We today may forget that. But the early Church was significant and influential. You can go back to our original documents, like Acts and Romans, and you see that women were involved in the early Church. Jesus was moving things in a direction where women were affirmed.”
IMM explores the Christian heritage of the Middle East and North Africa through video. Learn more about IMM, their video projects, and how you can get involved here.
Header photo courtesy of International Media Ministries.
