...of the existing codes of dressing was an indispensable element in Kemal's attempt for modernization: In some places I have seen women who put a piece of cloth or a towel or something like it over their faces, and who turn their backs or huddle themselves on the ground when a man passes by. What is the...

...gender relations it symbolized. Addressing a group of 'gentlemen' in 1925, Ataturk (1959:217) said: 'In some places I have seen women who put a piece...huddle themselves on the ground when a man passes by. Gentlemen, can the mothers and daughters of a civilized nation adopt this strange manner, this barbarous...

...progress and civilization." 44 On another occasion he expressed a similarly strong view on the veil: In some places I have seen women who put a piece of...backs or huddle themselves on the ground when a man passed by. What are the meaning and the sense of this behavior? Gentlemen, can the mothers and daughters...

...difficult to imagine Kavakci adhering to that vow in light of what Ataturk said about head scarfs in 1925: In some places I have seen women who put a piece of...cloth or a towel or something like it over their heads and hide their faces. Can the mothers and daughters of a civilized nation adopt this strange manner,...

...women by the Ottoman state. Atatiirk himself condemned the practice of veiling in the following words: In some places I have seen women who put a piece of cloth or a towel or something like it over their faces . . . when a man passes by. What is the meaning and sense of this behavior? Gentlemen, can the...

...men, allowing them to appear "uncivilized" and objects of "ridicule." In one speech Ataturk declared: "In some places I have seen women who put a piece of cloth or a towel or something like that over their heads to hide their faces, and who turn their backs or huddle themselves on the ground...