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Islamist Moderation and the Resilience of Gender: Turkey's Persistent Paradox

Abstract As Islamists engage in ideological moderation, they tend to move away from doctrinaire positions on the economy and foreign policy. However, this activity is less apparent with respect to issues regarding women. What explains this variation? Using the Justice and Development Party (JDP) of Turkey as a case study, this essay discusses how and why Islamist groups characteristically resist moderation concerning gender, contending that this resilience stems from three inter‐related factors. First, women have become the symbol of Islamist movements, making gender more resistant to change as opposed to peripheral issues. Second, the JDP seems to have interests in portraying itself as resistant to change since it strategically uses this conservatism to keep in touch with its traditional base. Third, a patriarchal party structure places male values and interests above those of females and reconstructs femininity as pertaining to family by making references to religious texts, custom and tradition. Although playing a crucial role in mobilizing the constituency, women have been systematically excluded from decision‐making mechanisms of their party and their activities have been confined to separate auxiliary organizations called Women's Branches.