Birth Control & Family Planning Not for Muslim Families: Erdogan

Erdogan is a devout Muslim, in favour of increasing the numbers of the Muslim population.

File photo: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Photo: AP)

• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken out against birth control and family planning, saying they go against Muslim traditions.
  
  
• Speaking at an educational foundation, he claimed that family planning and birth control cannot be practised by Muslim families. He spoke in favour of increasing descendants of Islam and the population.
  
  
• Erdogan, a devout Muslim, often courts controversy with divisive, often sexist, public comments. He has previously angered women’s groups by stating that women are not equal to men and by urging women to bear at least three children. The Turkish leader has also raised eyebrows by attempting to outlaw abortion and adultery.
  
  

(With agency inputs.)