Creating new perspectives since 2009
Items by Dr Ayşe Duran Yılmaz
-
What Abraham refused: The Ishmaels of the modern world
Millions of Muslims around the world are preparing to celebrate Eid al-Adha. Once again, the story of Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael is remembered as a narrative about faith, submission, and ultimately the refusal to sacrifice a child. At the heart of this story lies a profound moral turning…
-
Bombs over classrooms: The girls the world forgot before International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is often marked by speeches about equality and symbolic gestures celebrating women’s progress. But these rituals ring hollow when girls are still losing their lives to war. The bombing of a girls’ school in Minab, Iran, is a stark reminder that discussions about women’s rights cannot be…
-
Selective freedom: Muslim women, headscarves, and the unfinished legacy of February 28
As February 28 approaches, it is important to remember that this process is not merely a closed chapter in Turkey’s past. The deep scars it left on the lives of Muslim women remain very much alive. Although February 28 is often described as a “postmodern coup,” its consequences were anything…
-
Which children are worth mourning? The collapse of children’s rights in 2025
The year 2025 will be remembered as another moment in which humanity failed its children. Across the globe, wars, armed conflicts, and humanitarian crises did not merely expose children to trauma, and they systematically dismantled childhood itself. For millions of children, especially those forced to flee their homes, 2025 was…
-
Back to school or back to death? The missing rights of Palestinian children
September is a month of excitement in many parts of the world: children start new schools, open fresh notebooks, shoulder their school bags, and celebrate the joy of “back to school.” For all children, education is considered the cornerstone of their rights, and governments as well as international institutions repeat…