This report discusses the historical backgrounds and contemporary contexts of women’s movements in Egypt and Turkey. It describes the potential of women’s movements to become a force for democratization in the contemporary Middle East and a champion of women’s rights.

This paper describes historical contributions of women to Turkey’s politics and analyzes the changing reality of modern political life in the country. The researchers describe the impact of Islam, crime and sex on the status and rights of women in Turkey as well as the concerns existing in the society that Turkey might be turning its back on its secular traditions.