Characterized as “compassion hero” in Risale-i Nur, identified with “respect, conversation and patience” concepts and highlighted with kind-coquettish creation, woman has constituted focal point of many different understandings and applications throughout the history. Women considered in terms of various scopes, such as their status within the community and against men, their importance for the family as a spouse and mother, their place within the community, their obligations in individual and social life are included in discussion scopes of various doctrines, ideologies and scientific disciplines.

Sublimated as to lay the heaven under their feet and treated with respect in different religions and communities due to her “maternal” characteristic, women is the leading actor of the family forming the base of social structure. Undertaking the task of transmitting the values, that sustain the community, to the next generations, attitude of women against social changes and deformations may affect overall layers of the community. New definitions and applications about woman identity within social change processes may cause arise of unexpected results regarding social structure.

Sanctified in matriarchal communities, but placed in second class in patriarchal communities, women do not have any value and right in some cultures. In this context, the status presented by Islam to the women in individual, political, legal, social and economical senses and identification of women’s place in various areas with respect to other religions and disciplines gain importance.

It is possible to state that women movements take form on two different bases today. One of them aims to change individual and social position of women by ignoring Islamic values. Here, women are promoted to comply with legal base supporting Western type modernization. One of the bottlenecks of this movement is impositions destroying woman creation, as well as causing social deformations. Second movement highlight Islamic values and supports elimination of traditional applications and understandings not complying with religion, as well as supports arrangement of social and legal status of women on the basis of new understandings and needs. Conclusions arisen due to confliction between these two movements should be evaluated.

Other significant issue required to be analyzed is the meaning attributed to women by modernity. Women having the chance to improve status and move more independently thanks to modernity could not rescue from becoming a meta of capitalist communities due to will of unlimited freedom. Modernization process causing serious traumas in Eastern communities trying to imitate Western modernization by moving away from its own values caused different problems regarding women. Acting on the basis of women and men equality, as well as freedom concept, women have undertaken more loads by taking certain social responsibilities in addition to their task at home as a result of which significant changes and problems occurred within family structure. Intellectual, well-educated, well-groomed, successful and ambitious modern woman image putting her maternity task over has no longer continued and replaced with depressive, unhappy and alone woman image. Being shaken with heavy loads of consumption culture, women may leave herself, her family and her community to the sole of obstinate diseases while trying to create women image imposed them. Questions such as how social structure deformed with above stated disease infecting also women having Islamic sensitivity shall be cured, how main tasks of women shall be introduced to them by achieving their return to their homes and how women shall be revered existence should be responded.

Under consideration of above explanations, we identified subject of our 113th publication as “woman”. We plan to discuss this issue in the framework of “women, family, community, mother-maternity, child, marriage, spouse, compassion, kindness, moral kindness, sexuality, fashion, sustentation, divorcement, identity, tesettur, head scarf, working life, morals, compassion, modernity, globalization, media, feminism, consumption, harassment, bawdiness, dissipation, honesty, protection, marriage, generation, love, diet” and on the basis of following questions.

What are main problems encountered regarding women in the world and in our country? What is the meaning attributed to women by Risale-i Nur? How approaches of Risale-i Nur can be evaluated in terms of today’s women and their problems? What is the meaning attributed to women by modernity? How should woman movements be evaluated within modernization process? What is the status of women within family concept constituting base of community structure? How should women be evaluated as a mother? What value is attributed to women by Islam? What are the reasons of different applications and concepts about women emerging in Islamic world, different cultures and geographies? What is the position of women in Jewish and Christianity? What is the meaning of women and men equality? What is the approach of Islam regarding this issue? What is the status of women in terms of Islam? What are women rights? How should intensive discussions regarding this concept within modernization process be evaluated? What is the importance and wisdom of tesettur, if diseases deforming communal structure, such as bawdiness, exhibitionism, improbity, etc. are considered? In this scope, how should women considered as meta in capitalist communities be evaluated in socio-psychological senses?

While leaving you to read our magazine, we hope to present you a different issue naming future of Islamic world around Hutbe-i Samiye.

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ABSTRACTS OF THE ARTİCLES 

Rights and Obligations arisen due to Gender

Prof. Dr. Ahmet BATTAL

Matters such as women rights, gender-fairness relation, rights and obligations arisen due to gender, wisdoms of gender difference, justice and power relation, women-men equality, male dominance, etc. have been included within discussion issues of various cultures and communities throughout the history. This study aims to shed light on above counted matters and identify frame of claiming rights between women and men.

Key Words: Woman, gender, women rights, human rights, justice, right, power

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Changes in Women Role during Transition to 21st Century from 20th Century and Impacts of this Period on Conservative Women

Asst. Assoc. Dr. Osman ÖZKUL/Sakarya University, Department of Sociology

According to historical and anthropological data, women are always placed in the center of “family entity”. Women role emerging as mother, spouse and educator throughout the history has changed together with feminist movements occurred in 20th Century. During this period, a role conflicting with men in social and economic senses has been imposed to the women. In this text, changes in women role during transition to 21th century from 20th century and impacts of this period on conservative women” is evaluated.

Key words: Woman, feminism, family, marriage, freedom

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“Acceptable women” of the Republic

Begüm BURAK

It is known that, from the formation of the Republic up until now, in a historical process, the state elites shaped the woman identity within the framework of a Kemalist-nationalist ideology in the structuring of a new citizen, while carrying out the modernization project. The woman who had been known with her Islamic identity since the Tanzimat era was pulled to the fore without her Islamic identity by the state elites after 1923. On the other hand, the autonomous woman movements that emerged after the Second Constitutional Period lost their influence along with the enhancement of the Republic. In this context, in the modernization project adopted with the formation of Republic, the women were reflected as the symbol of westernization. Also they were granted some rights and duties while carrying the dominant image of western Republic.

Key Words: Woman, Constitutional Monarchy, Republic, modernization, woman identity

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Woman in Jewish and Christianity

Assoc. Dr. İsmail TAŞPINAR/Marmara University, Faculty of Theology, Department of History of Religions 

“Woman” representing the most important item of humanity is considered as a separate issue in religious texts of all religions and explanations regarding her place within existence are presented. In this research, attitudes of Jewish and Christianity about women are highlighted on the basis of their own sources.

Key words: Woman, man, Jewish, Christianity the, Old Testament, the New Testament

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Certain Basic Principles for Happiness of the Family

Asst. Assoc. Dr. Cüneyt GÖKÇE/Harran University Faculty of Theology

Family is one of the most significant issues considered by Islam. In order for a healthy family, certain basic principles should be taken into consideration. These principles can be evaluated in various categories. This study explains some of the principles providing happiness of a family.

Key words: family, happiness, marriage, love, respect, divorce

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Why Marriages of this Era are short-term?

Banu YAŞAR/Psychologist-Psychotherapist

Increase in rate of divorcements in recent years and deformation in family order and unity of families cause social deformation. Sufficient and stable mental health and personality development of new generation is only possible by healthy and comfortable family order. This study evaluates reasons of divorcements representing one of the most significant issues of this century, as well as presents solutions.

Key words: Marriage, women, family, child, divorcement

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 About “Tesettur Epistle” …

Yasemin GÜLEÇYÜZ

In this Tesettur Epistle study in which woman creation is considered on the basis of tesettur verse of Koran (Ahzab Surah, 59th), Bediüzzaman Said Nursi addresses dissipated civilization and philosophers stating “tesettur captures women” by refusing divine order and he proves necessity of tesettur on the basis of mental evidences. In this study, First Philosophy of Tesettur epistle shall be analyzed.

Key words: Tesettur, women, dissipated civilization, fashion, beauty, sexuality, marriage

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Woman throughout the History and Changing Woman figure in Turkish Literature

Sibel BAYRAM

Although woman is a human existence like men, she is considered differently and included within different discussions throughout the history. Attributing negative meaning to women shows historical understanding in this scope. Men are considered as subject and women are considered as an existence depending on men in many cultures and traditions. In this study, status of women shall be analyzed throughout the history and changing women figure in Turkish literature shall be evaluated.

Key words: Woman, women rights, feminism, Turkish literature, Westernization

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Wits and Jests in Risâle-i Nur

Prof. Dr. İsmail ALBAYRAK

Witty remarks and pursuant jests are all part of our nature. In this text, place and limits of wits and jests in religion shall be highlighted on the basis of Koran and hadiths. Then, wits and jests drawing attention in Risale-i Nur Corpus shall be analyzed in the framework of different considerations.

Key words: Wits, jests, reality, smile, representation, summary

Source: This article is the editorial writing of the akademic magazine Köprü/Winter 2011