Erdogan: Efforts to Control Turkey's Population are Treason

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the President of Turkey, has described efforts to control the population in his country as 'treason,' stating that these 'traitors' aim to 'diminish the new generation of the country.' On Monday, December 1st, the French news agency reported that Mr. Erdogan, speaking at a wedding ceremony, added that 'one or two children are not enough.' The Turkish President further stated that 'the use of birth control methods is treason against Turkey's noble goals of becoming a prosperous nation with a growing young population.' He emphasized the need for a younger and more dynamic population to strengthen the nation, saying, 'One or two is not enough. We need this to elevate Turkey to a higher level of modern civilization.' Erdogan also referred to his opponents, claiming that 'they have been committing treason through population control for years and are seeking to diminish our generation.' His government has been accused by various groups of attempting to impose Islamic Sharia on society and limiting women's civil rights in Turkey. Erdogan, who has two sons and two daughters, has previously sparked outrage among women's rights advocates by stating that every woman should have three children and that 'women are not equal to men.' He has also proposed restrictions on abortion rights, limiting access to contraceptive pills, and cesarean surgeries. Turkey's population has seen exponential growth in recent decades, exceeding 76 million, but the fertility rate in the country has recently declined. Erdogan has previously warned about the declining birth rate, but his recent comments represent his strongest criticism of this issue. Meanwhile, Erdogan's government's policies for the Islamization of schools have led to protests from teachers and the arrest of dozens of them. The Turkish government has recently lifted the ban on headscarves for high school girls and supported the establishment of schools known as 'Imam Hatip' schools, which promote a combination of religious and modern education. Additionally, it was recently reported that Erdogan intends to revive Arabic calligraphy education in Turkish high schools and promote the teaching of Ottoman Turkish in schools. The crackdown and arrest of Erdogan's opponents have increased in recent months. In this context, Turkish police arrested dozens of teachers protesting the Islamization of schools, and the Turkish prosecutor has called for the arrest of Erdogan's opposition leader.