Emine Erdogan is the wife of Turkish President Racep Erdogan. He takes an active political position, not wanting to remain in the shadow of her husband. Not limited to the ceremonial functions of the first lady. Known for her charitable projects and campaigns to protect the rights of women and children.
Biography
In the small provincial town of Siirt, in the southeast of Turkey, lived the family of Khayri and Cemal Gulbaran, who had four sons. By the will of fate, all six moved to Fatih (Istanbul region). Shortly there, on February 16, 1955, Hairi gave birth to her fifth child. It was the long-awaited daughter – Emine.
When the girl was 5 years old, the family from Siirt finally settled in the province of Istanbul, settling in Uskudar (a historical area in the Asian part of the city). The color of this ancient area was reflected in the future outlook of Emine. She learned to empathize with different walks of life, as her mother was known for her philanthropy. From her father, the girl learned to remain calm in the most difficult circumstances.
As a child, Emine Erdogan used to often listen to the Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum on the radio, which did not stop in their house. She was interested in life outside of Turkey by reading magazines and books. By her early years, the girl came up very erudite, well-mannered and purposeful. This especially highlights Emine, because she has Arabic roots. She is Arab by nationality.
Emine Erdogan in his youth
The girl graduated from the Istanbul Mithatpasha Women’s Vocational School. Having outstanding data and good opportunities, Emine did not begin to receive higher education. This is partly due to the social and gender characteristics of life in a Muslim country.
The lack of higher education did not prevent Gulbaran from actively engaging in social activities. She was one of the founders of the Women’s Idealist Association. The main goals of the association were to ensure a more active role of women in public life and to overcome stereotypes about women existing in a patriarchal society.
Emine did her best not to pass by the events organized by the National Student Union of Turkey and the Women’s Foundation for Science and Culture. Thanks to this, she once met with Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The meeting changed the lives of both young people.
One of the old photos of Emine (taken from the Turkish blog ahmetdursunarsivi.blogspot.com):
Personal life: wife of the President of Turkey
Recep and Emine got married on February 4, 1978. At that time, young people had already begun to be interested in politics. The 80s were difficult for Turkey, so the couple’s life was not rosy, which did not prevent them from strengthening their family with the birth of four children.
Since 1985, her husband finally went into politics, becoming the chairman of the Istanbul cell of the Welfare Party. The wife did not want to lag behind her husband and organized the women’s branch of the party. It was an extraordinary step for the Turkish political reality of those years.
The makings of the first lady Emine showed in 1994, when Recep was elected mayor of Istanbul. She initiated several social projects, the purpose of which was to destroy the wall between the poor and rich sections of society.
When Racep was prime minister, Emine, along with the wives of the governors of all Turkish provinces, led a campaign to improve the living conditions of women, the elderly and other vulnerable categories of citizens. The project has been approved by the United Nations.
Erdogan has played a pivotal role in opposing child marriage in the country. She pushed through the decision to ban them and enforce the law. This problem still remains relevant, but, thanks to Emine’s perseverance, it has changed its scale down.
Since August 2014, Emine has received the status of First Lady. This allowed her to initiate many new public benefit campaigns.
Emine Erdogan now
First Lady Erdogan accompanies her husband on international trips. She conquered the world politics with her color. It is impossible to imagine her without a scarf. In this, Emine differs sharply from other first ladies. Her headscarf has already become a symbol of the fact that a Muslim woman is able to influence the country’s domestic and foreign policy.
A woman politician contributes to the popularization of her homeland. Unlike tourists from the countries of the former CIS, who are delighted with the all-inclusive, in the far abroad, Turkey is not so unequivocal.
The first lady often gets into international scandals. Her active and tough stance sometimes makes diplomats sweat. She last made a fuss by calling the Israeli prime minister a liar.