Nezihe Muhiddin

Nezihe Muhiddin (Modern Turkish: Nezihe Muhittin, 1889 – February 10, 1958) was an Ottoman and Turkish women's rights activist, suffragette, journalist, writer and political leader.

She is the founder of the first party of the Republic of Turkey, Kadınlar Halk Fırkası (People’s Party of Women or Women's People Party) in July 1923. KHF was founded for the political and social rights of women. Due to the political situation during the time, it was not recognized officially by the modern Turkish state.

Muhiddin then founded Türk Kadınlar Birliği (Turkish Women's Union). Türk Kadınlar Birliği continued to press for political equality. In 1927 the Union decided to promote a feminist male candidate to champion women's rights in parliament, but was unsuccessful.

She spent her life working to improve the quality of the lives of Turkish women.

Read: Nezihe Muhittin ve Türk Kadını By Ayşegül Baykan & Belma Ötüş Baskett

Publications

Books

• Şebab-ı Tebah (The Lost Youth)
• Benliğim benimdir (My Ego is Mine)
• Güzellik Kraliçesi (The Beauty Queen)
• Boz Kurt (The Grey Wolf)
• İstanbul'da Bir Landru (A Landru in Istanbul)
• Ateş Böcekleri (Fire Flies)
• Bir Aşk Böyle Bitti (This is How A Love Ended)
• Çıplak Model (The Naked Model)
• İzmir Çocuğu (The Child of Izmir)
• Avare Kadın (Wastrel Woman)
• Bir Yaz Gecesiydi (It Was a Summer Night)
• Çıngıraklı Yılan (The Rattlesnake)
• Kalbim Senindir (My Heart Belongs To You)
• Sabah Oluyor (Turning Out to be Morning)
• Gene Geleceksin (You Will Come Back)
• Sus Kalbim Sus! (Shush, My Heart, Shush!)
• Türk Kadını (Turkish Woman)

Further reading

• " Nezihe Muhitin ve Türk Kadini, by Ayşegül Baykan & Belma Ötüş Baskett. Published by Iletisim, 1999

• Nezihe Muhiddin: an Ottoman Turkish women's rights defender" by Yaprak Zihnioglu.

• Kadınsız İnkılap/ Nezihe Muhiddin, Kadınlar Halk Fırkası, Kadın Birliği. by Yaprak Zihnioğlu, Metis Yayınları 2003

• Nezihe Muhiddin külliyatı by Yaprak Zihnioğlu
• Osmanlı Kadın Hareketi by Serpil Çakır

External links

• Historical Roots of the Turkish Women's Movement
• Late Ottoman and Early Turkish women activists. Yeni Şafak Newspaper Article in Turkish.
• Ottoman Women's Movement, Turkish article in Radikal Newspaper
• Muhiddin, life and books. Radikal Newspaper Article in Turkish.
• Bir milletin nisvânı, derece-i terâkkisinin mizânıdır. SesOnline Article by Ayse Hur in Turkish