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| Türkan Urmulu |
Türkan Urmulu believes that an Azerbaijani feminist should pay attention to the problems of all communities and social groups living in Azerbaijan, including women belonging to ethnic and religious minorities. In an interview with Voice of America, the Southern Azerbaijani lawyer, poet, and women's rights activist shared her thoughts on feminism efforts in Azerbaijan and also commented on the "Feminist Steps" campaign she launched on social networks together with fellow Southern Azerbaijani women's rights activist, Azra Azari.
"Many people, even those who speak about women's rights, avoid being called feminists. However, every ideology and concept has its own terminology. It is important to use the correct terms in activities related to raising awareness and educating people about women's rights."
The Southern Azerbaijani lawyer emphasizes that the main goal of "Feminist Steps" is to raise awareness about women's rights.
"Working on women's rights in Southern Azerbaijan is not new, but there are serious gaps in this field, and sufficient sources of information are lacking. We are trying to fill these gaps to the best of our abilities."
She also notes that an Azerbaijani feminist is engaged in a struggle, but this struggle should be conducted through education rather than slogans.
The poet from Urmia also shared her thoughts with Voice of America on the definition and characteristics of an Azerbaijani feminist.
"Many people consider feminist activism irrelevant given the many pressing issues in Southern Azerbaijan. They argue that we have so many problems—our language is banned—yet you are bringing up feminism as a luxury! However, by calling ourselves Azerbaijani feminists, we demonstrate that this activism is for the benefit of Southern Azerbaijan."
A graduate of Urmia and Ankara Universities in law and international law, Türkan Urmulu believes that an Azerbaijani feminist should consider all communities and social groups living in Azerbaijan and pay attention to the problems of women belonging to ethnic and religious minorities.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Türkan Urmulu: Azərbaycan feministiyəm!