Unlike its other Islamic neighbors, Turkey abolished Sharia law and became a secular nation in the 1920s. As a result, Turkish women enjoyed rights and freedoms not enjoyed by women in any other predominantly Islamic country (Arat 870). The first president of the newly transformed country was Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who wore Western-style clothing. Although Turkey was secular, it was not democratic, as ruled by a single party (Arat 870). In the 1950s, things began to change again as Turkey moved to a multi-party system and Islamists began to campaign harder and more publicly for the right to practice their faith in public (Arat 871). Turkey has attempted to move toward a two-party system. , a more European type system, or as one article describes it as “Blairism” in reference to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, since the 1990s (Coşar & Özman 234). But its history and predominant Islamist religious tradition are still present in the background, exerting an influence that has fluctuated over the years. Due to its history and religious context, Turkey, which literally, figuratively and philosophically constitutes a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, has something of a dual personality. In particular, unlike many of its European neighbors, women's voices find it more difficult to be heard in the political cacophony. Turkey finds itself in a unique position, straddling the West and the Middle East, and its cultural pendulum swings wildly between the two disparate cultures. At any given time, a significant number of women in Turkey feel that their rights are restricted, whether the country is in a more secular or Islamic phase. As detailed in the articles reviewed, while Turkey is in the middle of paper...... other nations with two very divergent cultural traditions in recent years. The divide between the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States or even the different worldviews of evangelical Christians versus those who practice the dominant religion or even no religion in the United States seems much smaller when compared to the diversity between the two politically dominant cultures in Türkiye. .Works CitedArat, Yesim. “Religion, politics and gender equality in Türkiye: implications of a democratic paradox? Third World Quarterly 31.6 (2010): 869-884. Print.Turam, Berna. “Turkish women divided by politics.” International Feminist Journal of Politics 10.4 (2008): 475-494. Print. Coşar, Simten and Aylin Özman. “Problems of Representation of Social Democracy in Türkiye.” Journal of Third World Studies 25.1 (2008): 233-252. SocINDEX with full text. Internet. November 14. 2011.