A job advertisement barring headscarf-wearing applicants stirred up controversy for Destek Yayıncılık, an Istanbul-based publisher of popular titles. The online ad for accounting and finance personnel says only women can apply for the position and says "CVs sent by türban-wearing women and men will not be put into consideration," using a derogatory term for headscarf.As the outrage against the company piled up on social media sites, Destek Media Group, the parent company of the publisher, released a statement and blamed an unnamed recruitment employee for the ad.The ad would have likely been downplayed in the late 1990s and early 2000s when an extremely secular elite ruled the Muslim-majority country and openly targeted women wearing headscarves.
However, it received a barrage of criticism yesterday when it surfaced, with people decrying the mindset resembling the "February 28 process," in reference to the 1997 coup that came amid the abovementioned witch hunt against Muslim women. "How backward this is! These people should be reminded in which age they live in!" a social media user wrote. Another user vowed "not to buy any books published by Destek," while yet another user wrote "How fascist you are!" Nedim Şener, a prominent journalist whose books were published by the company, described the ad as "ridiculous" before retweeting the publisher's statement.
The company said in a press statement that the administration was "not aware" of the ad and was not "informed about it" before the ad surfaced online. "We have a policy that does not accept any discrimination based on political views, faith, gender, etc. An employee responsible for posting ads sabotaged them and led us to this dire situation," the company said, adding that the responsible employee was fired and the company restricted posting of ads without the approval of the company's administration. The company also apologized to the "people we upset."
Speaking to Daily Sabah, Destek's owner Yelda Cumalıoğlu said the job ad was "the work of an employee sabotaging [the company]." She noted that the company already had headscarf-wearing personnel, including an administrator and a reception clerk, and they already published books by headscarf-wearing writers. Cumalıoğlu said they have "launched a legal process" against the employee responsible for the ad.
