Who are we?

Havle Women’s Association was founded in Üsküdar in 2018, as “the first Muslim Feminist Women’s Association in Turkey”, with the aim of tackling the difficulties and obstacles that women, and especially Muslim women, face in every aspect of their lives.

Where does the name “Havle” come from?

Havle means “strength”. Havle Bint-i Salabe, from whom we took our name, was a Muslim woman who protested the injustice she was subjected to by her husband. Upon the prayers and objections of Havle, the first four verses in the surah of Al Mujadilah (“The Contention” or “The Woman Who Pleads” as commonly translated) were revealed to the Prophet (PBUH). Havle inspired the name of the association with her determined stand against injustice.

What do we do?

Organizations such as Reçel Blog, Muslims Initiative Against Violence Against Women, and Women in Mosques created a newer space for women in the feminist sphere, especially for Muslim women. We endeavor to speak out from a feminist perspective against the patriarchal interpretations of Islam, the social norms surrounding our lives, and the association of these norms with religious references. We also defend the locality of feminism based on the view that women’s stories, struggles, and solutions to social problems do not always fit into a universal definition of feminism. While fighting against patriarchy and gender inequality, we also see that women’s desires and expectations from life are shaped within the network of social relations to which they are subject. In this context, we conduct research, build knowledge and carry out advocacy activities on Islamic feminism, the localization of feminism, gender hierarchy, and gendered violence in the family and social relations. We draw on the knowledge produced by feminist and women’s movements, and we aim to have a transformative impact on the feminist movement with our knowledge building and policy making.

Who is in Havle?

Havle is a feminist solidarity network. As Havle women, we want Havle to be a space where women, whether feminist or not, religious or non-religious, can get involved, form friendships, organize, support each other, listen to each other, discuss and learn. We use feminist methods for resolving problems in this space. We welcome anyone who can picture themselves here.