Turkey: The Land of the Hijab and the Bikini

Today, I will skip my usual political rants against right-wing Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which might make some think I'm a cranky middle-age man like American comic actor Marc Maron, and illustrate that Turkey is ultimately a country caught between two fashion trends: the hijab and the bikini.

And, for good measure as we say here in the states, we've thrown in a burqini (also spelled burkini as well); all of these definitions are from Wikipedia. We are aware that this entry could get us banned in Dubai and Pakistan; but it could make us more popular in Canada. As my favorite comic strip cartoonist Keith Knight says (paraphrase), Canada is the one place that all Americans can still make fun of:


Hijab: A veil which covers the head which is particularly worn by a Muslim female beyond puberty in the presence of non-related adult males.

Bikini: This is a type of women's two-piece swimsuit designed to provide minimal coverage of the body. One part covers the breast and one part covers the groin and part of or the entire buttocks.

Burquini: A Swimsuit for Muslim women designed by Lebanese Australian Ahena Zametti. The suit covers the whole body except the hands, face and feet.  

http://www.hurriyetnews.com (Turkish newspaper in English)

http://www.wtfpod.com (Marc Maron's podcast)

http://www.knightlifecomic.com (Keith Knight's comic strip "Knight Life")

http://www.burqini.com

http://www.politicscultureandotherwastesoft.blogspot.com (Our sister blog, which will feature much of the same text as this one, but with different images).